The “unprecedented” hacks of French supermarket refrigerators were the latest in a series of major cyberattacks that have made the country the most hacked in Europe, according to some analysts. Cyberattacks are on the rise globally, but why is France such a ready target?
Hundreds of French supermarket workers got a surprise when they opened on October 12 and found that, instead of being greeted by a gust of cold air when they tried to restock fridges and freezers, many were as hot as ovens.
A hack targeting 700 stores across France breached temperature-control software, cranking the thermostat as high as 80°C (176°F) overnight, in some cases cooking food that had been left inside.
Workers at branches of Intermarché, Coopérative U, Carrefour, Leclerc and Monoprix supermarkets had no choice but to throw away tonnes of spoiled food.
The hack was unique: it marked "the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage" on French territory, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, describing it as an attack of "unprecedented" scale.
But it came in the wake of a series of large-scale cyberattacks that have hit French companies, public service providers and government departments.
In the past five years, successful hacks have stolen data from the country's unemployment agency, immigration office, ministry of education, the national agency for identity documents and public hospitals.
