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France's fridge hack: youngsters or state sabotage?
The overrides hit hundreds of supermarket cold aisles shortly before midnight last Sunday, and investigators are weighing teenage hackers against state sabotage; the brie did not survive.
On air: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on Late Night BBNPublished
Photo: Wilfredor · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0Watch it as it aired: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from Late Night BBN at 12:54 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Guardian's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Guardian: “Not cool: who hacked France’s supermarket fridges?”
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 12:54 AM ET on Late Night BBN, by Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield; aired 2 times.
- Topics: France, French.
- BBN covered this story before: French AI CEO warns Americans against voting Democrat: 'you don't… (October 13).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIn France tonight, investigators are still asking who remotely overrode the thermostats in hundreds of supermarket cold aisles shortly before midnight last Sunday.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe Guardian calls it bizarre and unprecedented. Food began cooking in the freezers, and the country was left with a mountain of waste.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentCooking in the freezers. That's the first cyber-attack you can smell from the parking lot.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorNobody knows who did it.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIt could be youngsters proving their skills, or it could be state sabotage, and the Guardian notes France is Europe's most hacked country.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIf it's a teenager, that's the greatest portfolio piece ever. Skills: ruined every yogurt in the country.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAnd if it's a government, then a nation's most feared weapon is warm brie.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWarm brie. France would surrender on principle.
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Photo: Beethoven · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bryan Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Chezki Mozes · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Photo: Chris Walts · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Federalreserve · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Also on air
The story so far
- French AI CEO warns Americans against voting Democrat: 'you don't… · Fox News
- France's fridge hack: youngsters or state sabotage? (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 17, 2026 · the World archive · all months
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