Hackers forced the temperature of many French supermarket fridges up to 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) overnight, causing fires and food losses at several hundred stores across the country in a major cyberattack.

The Paris prosecutor's office said a "large-scale" attack was "affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France" and reported damage included "food losses and fires".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu instructed France's National Cybersecurity Agency ANSSI to investigate, a person in his office said.

They said France "was coordinating with its European counterparts, as other countries may also be affected," while also investigating whether any other French firms were at risk.

Les Mousquetaires, which owns retailer Intermarche, said around 150 of its stores had been hit, with fridges heated up to 50 degrees Celsius for six hours. It had thrown all the food away to avoid any sanitary risks, a spokesperson said.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 12, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. EMPTY REFRIGERATORS AT INTERMARCHE SUPERMARKET

2. SIGN ON FRIDGE READING (French): "FROZEN FOOD AISLE TEMPORARILY CLOSED After a technical problem. Thank you for your understanding"

3. VARIOUS OF EMPTY REFRIGERATORS

4. PERSON ENTERING INTERMARCHE SUPERMARKET

5. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF INTERMARCHE SUPERMARKET