Hackers remotely increased the temperature of refrigerators in French supermarkets to 50°C, causing fires and spoiling food.

What it means

Hackers remotely accessed the temperature-control software of refrigeration units in hundreds of French supermarkets (including Intermarché and Coopérative U), raising the temperature to 50°C (122°F) overnight. This caused overheating that sparked fires in some stores and forced the disposal of massive amounts of spoiled food. The attack is described as unprecedented in scale for the retail sector.

Accuracy & sourcesSourced

The claim is solid, reported by multiple reputable outlets (Guardian, BBC, Reuters, ABC) all citing named spokespersons from the affected supermarket chains and the CEO of Coopérative U. The reporting is based on direct statements from the primary sources, so confidence is high.

How new

Genuinely new: the attack occurred in the past 24–48 hours, with articles published on October 12–13, 2026.

Go deeper

• AFP (via Google News) — first to publish