Could hackers get inside my fridge?

Hackers forced the temperature of fridges and freezers in hundreds of French supermarkets up to 50 degrees Celsius overnight, causing fires and food losses in what the Paris Prosecutor’s Office described as a “large-scale” attack.

The owner of French supermarket chain Intermarché said about 150 of its stores were hit, with fridges heated for six hours. The firm threw all the food away to avoid health risks.

Another French supermarket chain Carrefour said 80 of its supermarkets were affected.

The Chief Executive of French retail chain Coopérative U called the attack unprecedented.

What happened?

French media reported that the hackers targeted refrigeration control systems made by the Danish manufacturer Danfoss, remotely triggering a continuous defrost cycle. Danfoss said it was aware of incidents affecting a limited number of its systems in France. It said the affected units were running outdated firmware.

Weaknesses in such equipment had been flagged earlier. In August, researchers at the security firm Claroty found a hidden login in Danfoss controllers that could give an attacker administrator access, and found thousands of the controllers reachable from the internet. Danfoss subsequently released a firmware fix.

French authorities are investigating. A person in the Prime Minister’s office said France was coordinating with European counterparts because other countries could also be affected.

• Hackers target French supermarkets, spoiling food and triggering fires

Can this happen at home?

Anything connected to the internet, whether a camera, doorbell, thermostat or fridge could potentially be targeted.

In 2015, researchers at a Las Vegas hacking conference demonstrated how a Samsung smart refrigerator could be compromised, allowing them to intercept some of the internet traffic passing through the device.

The risks to vehicles have also been shown before. In 2015, two researchers remotely took control of a Jeep Cherokee through its entertainment system, prompting Fiat Chrysler to recall about 1.4 million vehicles. The company said it knew of no other hacking incidents involving its vehicles. 

What household devices are at risk?

Cybersecurity authorities define smart devices as electrical items that connect to the internet or a home network, usually via Wi-Fi. These include speakers, fitness trackers and security cameras, but also fridges, thermostats, kettles and washing machines.

Routers, used for internet access, are a prime target. According to cloud security platform Zscaler’s mid-2025 ThreatLabz report, routers accounted for more than 75 per cent of all observed attacks on connected devices.

What can a hacker actually do?

Attackers generally either gather information or take control. Poorly secured gadgets and accounts can give criminals access to personal data, to audio or video from toys and monitors, or to home networks. Security officials have warned that live feeds from smart cameras and baby monitors could be watched remotely when devices ship with easy-to-guess default passwords.

Compromised devices can also be used against other targets. Nokia’s 2023 Threat Intelligence Report said the number of insecure internet-connected devices used in specific type of cyber attack, known as botnet attacks, had risen from around 200,000 to about one million in a year. The report’s coverage named unsecured smart refrigerators among the devices involved. 

How can I protect myself?

Cybersecurity authorities have published guidance on securing home devices, much of it aimed at smart cameras and baby monitors.

• Change default passwords. Join three random words you will remember. This can usually be done through the device’s app.

• Install updates. Turn on automatic software updates where available.

• Switch off remote access you do not need. Disable internet access to a camera if you do not use remote viewing.

Read more about data security:

• U.S. says Chinese hackers targeted government departments
• British teen hackers jailed over £29m TfL cyberattack

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News Technology France hackers data security fridge Smart devices