French cybersecurity authority warns attack may be ongoing as stores scramble to restock

PARIS -- France’s cybersecurity authority has warned that a cyberattack targeting supermarkets may still be ongoing as stores restocked Wednesday after the attack sent refrigerator temperatures soaring, raising concerns about the security of vital food supply chains.The agency said Tuesday night that the attacks were “likely still underway.” It urged stores to reconnect refrigerators to the internet only through a secure VPN connection or protected network, install firmware updates and change passwords.Attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France in the early hours of Monday. Temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for about six hours, forcing stores to discard fresh and frozen goods. The Intermarché supermarket chain reported losses of “tens of millions of euros” in a single day.In the Netherlands, a major supermarket chain was restarting systems it had shut down as a precaution amid what parent company Ahold Delhaize called a “cybersecurity incident.” The incident halted home deliveries and disrupted some supplies to its extensive network of stores across the country.Authorities ...