Bessent claims Chinese AI was used in French supermarket refrigeration hack
On 12 October 2026, a cyber-attack hit refrigeration control systems at approximately 700 supermarkets in France, causing food to spoil. Several retailers, including Intermarché, Carrefour and E.Leclerc, were affected. On 12 November, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that a Chinese AI model had been used in the attack.
Key facts
- Affected organisation
- Intermarché
- Incident type
- Hacking & intrusion
- Occurred / detected
- 2026-10-12
- Scale of damage
- Refrigeration equipment at approximately 700 supermarkets in France was affected, resulting in spoiled food being discarded.
- Cause / method
- An allegation that the cyber-attack used a Chinese artificial intelligence model
- Location
- France
Timeline
- Bessent claimed that a Chinese artificial intelligence model had been used in a cyber-attack targeting France.
1 related reports
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