"Scary, It Feels All Too Real": Supermarket Fridges Left Empty, Convenience Stores and Karaoke Chains Hacked... 'AI Hacking' Hits Everyday Life Worldwide (Roundup)

Cyberattacks breach everything from French refrigerators to karaoke chains in Japan
700 French supermarkets hit by hacking
Hacking surges at Japanese financial firms, railways, convenience stores and karaoke chains

AFP-Yonhap

The French government warned that supermarkets recently affected by refrigerator hacking accounted for 7% of all stores, describing the attacks as a threat to food security. In Japan, the number of hacking incidents targeting public institutions and companies this year has already exceeded the total for last year, heightening cybersecurity concerns. As advances in artificial intelligence (AI) make hacking much easier, developing new cybersecurity measures has emerged as a key challenge for governments around the world.

According to AFP on Oct. 13, Roland Lescure, France's economy minister, appeared before Parliament that day to report what the government had learned about the supermarket hacking incident. "Of approximately 10,000 supermarkets in France, 700 were affected. There is no risk to the food supply," he said. "This cyberattack struck at the heart of our food security and is a wake-up call for everyone."

The incident occurred after cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigerators across France took place overnight between Oct. 11 and 12. Temperatures in the refrigerators hit by the attacks surged to as high as 50 degrees Celsius, leaving stores with no choice but to discard all the food kept inside.

Most of France's major supermarket chains are reported to have been affected. Carrefour said 80 stores were hit, while Monoprix said 5% of its 490 stores were affected. The Les Mousquetaires Group, which operates supermarket chains including Intermarché and Netto, reported that 300 stores were targeted. Another retail chain, Coopérative U, also said that around 100 stores were affected.

Reuters-Yonhap News

In Japan, the number of hacking incidents affecting companies and public institutions has also risen sharply this year. According to the Nikkei, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party convened an emergency meeting of its National Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters on Oct. 9. The move came as customer data breaches caused by hacking have surged recently in Japan. Since the start of this year, customer data breaches caused by hacking have affected companies including SoftBank and Daiwa Securities, as well as East Japan Railway Company (JR East), convenience store chain Lawson, and even karaoke chain Big Echo. Numerous ransomware attacks targeting companies have also been reported, in which hackers steal customer data and then demand payment.

Trend Micro, a Japanese cybersecurity company, recorded 600 cases of unauthorized access, including hacking and other cyberattacks, against Japanese companies and public institutions from January through September this year. That exceeded the 593 cases recorded for all of last year. Losses among major companies alone are estimated to have reached at least 50 billion yen (approximately 423.6 billion won).

Global hacking incidents have also risen sharply this year, not only in France and Japan. According to Ransomware.live, a global ransomware-tracking site, there were 5,717 ransomware attacks worldwide through the third quarter of this year. That was more than 1,500 higher than the figure for the same period a year earlier. The sharp increase in hacking attempts is believed to reflect how the widespread adoption of generative AI has made it easier to disable existing cybersecurity programs.

Experts warn that hacking cases involving the misuse of AI will increase further. A Trend Micro representative told the Nikkei, "Hacking used to require specialized knowledge, but with the advent of AI, it has become easier even without such knowledge." The representative added, "As AI advances, cyberattacks become easier, so governments and companies need to act quickly to prepare countermeasures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.