Bessent claims Chinese AI was used in French supermarket refrigeration hack
On October 12, 2026, a cyberattack 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 November 12, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that a Chinese AI model had been used in the attack.
Key facts
- Affected organization
- 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 cyberattack used a Chinese artificial intelligence model
- Location
- France
Timeline
- Bessent claimed that a Chinese artificial intelligence model had been used in a cyberattack targeting France.
1 related reports
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