700 supermarkets hit, millions lost: France warns refrigeration cyberattacks may persist

A worker restocking products in a refrigerated section of a supermarket two days after the cyberattack on several French supermarkets in Montreuil, France (AP photo) France's cybersecurity authority has warned that a cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems at supermarkets may still be underway, as stores restock fresh and frozen goods discarded after temperatures inside refrigerators and freezers surged.The agency said on Tuesday night that the attacks were “likely still underway” and urged retailers to reconnect refrigeration systems to the internet only through secure virtual private network (VPN) connections or protected networks.It also advised stores to install firmware updates and change passwords, according to the news agency Associated Press (AP).Attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France in the early hours of Monday. Temperatures reportedly reached 50 degrees Celsius for around six hours, forcing retailers to dispose of fresh and frozen products.The Intermarché supermarket chain reported losses of “tens of millions of euros” in a single day.French finance minister Roland Lescure said around ...