RIA says motives behind supermarket freezer cyberattack remain unknown

The motives behind a cyberattack on a supermarket refrigeration system are not known, and there is no evidence it involved artificial intelligence, Mai Kraft, head of the Cyber Security Centre at Estonia’s Information System Authority, told ERR on Monday.

Selver notified the authority that morning about attacks on its refrigeration system. Kraft said the authority had received one report from the retailer and had heard of no other incidents that day.

She said such attacks exploit devices with security weaknesses that are exposed to the internet. Whether attackers have a broader motive is unknown. Similar attacks could affect hospitals or heating systems if unsecured equipment is internet-accessible and organisations fail to improve their cybersecurity, she said.

The authority has identified fewer than 10 vulnerable refrigeration control systems in Estonia. Across the country’s cyberspace, it has identified more than 30,000 vulnerable devices, including those used by individuals and businesses. The sectors involved are still being analysed.

Kraft said the most common cyberattacks against Estonian information systems are denial-of-service attacks. Scams and phishing campaigns also remain widespread, and the authority recorded several incidents involving compromised websites this summer.