Cyber attack heats French supermarket freezers
Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Photo by Roger Bradshaw on Unsplash
Warm-up
- When did you last throw away food? Why?
- What do you keep in your fridge or freezer most of the time?
- How safe are online systems in shops, in your view?
Vocabulary
- cyber attack
- a harmful online action that tries to damage or control computers or networks
- hacker
- a person who uses computers to get into systems without permission
- software
- programs and code that run on a computer or device
- freezer
- a machine or part of a fridge that keeps food very cold and hard
- spoil
- to make food go bad so it cannot be eaten safely
- precaution
- an action taken to prevent possible harm or problems
- investigation
- an official process to find out the facts about an event
- update
- to add the newest version of a program so it works and is secure
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishHundreds of French supermarkets were hit by a cyber attack that took control of the software for their fridges and freezers. Hackers forced some units to heat up; Intermarché said some reached 50C for six hours overnight, so staff threw away food that could be spoiled.
The attack targeted remote-control tools made by Danish company Danfoss. The firm said older cold units could not receive a security update, and it had long advised clients to keep supported systems current. To limit damage, about 100 shops were quickly disconnected from the internet as a precaution.
Figures from retailers suggest around 400 stores, out of roughly 15,000 in France, were affected. Two shops in Alsace put losses at €270,000, and the national total may reach millions. French prosecutors opened an investigation, while EU Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen condemned the hack. Coopérative U's Dominique Schelcher called it unacceptable and urged a swift fix.
Comprehension
- What systems did the cyber attack take control of?
- Name two supermarket chains mentioned in the report.
- How hot did some units get, and for how long?
- About how many stores in France were affected overall?
- What did French prosecutors do in response to the attack?
Grammar focus
Alternative comparison
Use more/less + adjective/noun + than (or -er + than) to compare; use rather than (would rather + base verb) to show a preference between actions. (Examples constructed.)
- Disconnecting was more effective than waiting for a patch.
- Staff would rather disconnect than risk spoiled food.
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- Retailers lost (most / more) stock than usual.
- Older units were (less / least) secure than new ones.
- Engineers prefer patches (to / than) full resets.
- Shops acted (more soon / sooner) than expected.
- They cut power (instead than / rather than) wait.
Discussion
- How could supermarkets prevent similar attacks in future?
- Should shops keep old equipment if it cannot get a security update?
- Would you trust food after a fridge failure? Why or why not?
- Which services in your area are most at risk from hackers?
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