Hackers pushed refrigeration units in hundreds of French supermarkets to 50°C overnight into October 12, 2026, ruining fresh and frozen food worth millions of euros. The attack comes as concerns over AI cybersecurity threats draw investors toward security stocks, with bank breaches in South Korea adding to those concerns.
Key takeaways
- Carrefour counted 80 affected stores; Intermarché and Netto reported 180.
- The French attack targeted remotely managed refrigeration software.
- Japan’s cyber incidents through September exceeded its full-year 2025 total.
- Asian security shares rose while major chip stocks fell.
BeInCrypto reported that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu instructed France’s National Cybersecurity Agency, ANSSI, to investigate. French prosecutors also opened a cybercrime investigation, according to the BBC.
French supermarket hack targets refrigeration controls
The attackers seized control of software used to regulate supermarket refrigeration, ordering units to heat up and remain hot. Intermarché told Reuters that its refrigerators reached 50°C for six hours, and it discarded the affected food.
Carrefour reported 80 affected stores out of 6,000. Les Mousquetaires, which owns Intermarché and Netto, put its affected-store count at around 180 in statements reported by CNBC and the BBC. Another 100 shops were disconnected from the internet as a precaution.
More than 100 Coopérative U supermarkets were targeted. Monoprix reported that 5% of its more than 400 stores were affected; E.Leclerc was also hit. Figures gathered by the BBC suggested about 400 affected stores across France.
The BBC identified Danfoss, a Danish engineering firm, as the refrigeration-software provider. According to Danfoss, the units involved were legacy models that could not receive security software updates addressing a known risk. The software lets retailers control cooling equipment remotely.
Les Mousquetaires told CNBC it expected losses of several million euros. Its spokesperson reported smoke from overheated equipment but no fires at its stores. Intermarché and Netto removed affected products, while some food displays remained out of service. BFMTV reported combined losses of €270,000 at two supermarkets in Alsace.
Asia confronts cyberattacks and AI cybersecurity threats
Citing TrendAI data, Reuters reported that cyber incidents in Japan during the first nine months of 2026 exceeded the total number recorded across all of 2025. The Financial Times reported that more than 20 major Japanese companies had disclosed attacks in recent weeks.
Masaaki Taira, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party’s cybersecurity strategy headquarters, described a state of emergency in cyberspace.
Customer data was exposed in breaches at South Korean financial institutions, and CrowdStrike attributed the incidents to a suspected attacker who combined an open-source AI penetration-testing tool with large language models.
Interpol’s global chief information security officer, Bjorn R. Watne, told CNBC that AI increases the speed and scale of attacks by enabling multiple victims to be targeted simultaneously.
Security shares rise, but investment forecasts diverge
Cybersecurity stocks gained in Asia on October 13 while chip shares fell amid worries about the AI boom. Seoul’s KOSPI dropped 5.46%; SK Hynix lost 10.09% and Samsung Electronics fell 7.39%. AhnLab rose 10.51%, and Genians also finished higher.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 declined 1.82%, while Cyber Security Cloud gained 12.97% to ¥4,180.
According to The Herald Business, AhnLab and Genians shares also jumped on October 6 as the bank breaches fueled anticipation of higher security spending. Fitch senior analyst Karen Wu expects sector-wide spending growth, alongside regulatory penalties and compensation costs.
In the United States, concern about AI cybersecurity threats had supported security shares before these attacks. The First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF returned about 50% year-to-date.
Morgan Stanley sees further upside, noting that roughly 1.5% of enterprise AI investment goes toward AI security. It raised its Palo Alto Networks price target from $394 to $410.
Bernstein took a more cautious position, downgrading Palo Alto Networks on September 17 after arguing that the rally had brought valuations close to fair value or beyond.
Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.