Cyberattacks on supermarket fridges expose infrastructure vulnerabilities

Cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in at least 12 European countries have exposed the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, LSM reports. The European Union’s leading cybersecurity official has warned that similar attacks could intensify.

Several tonnes of dairy and meat products, along with frozen food, were thrown away after hackers broke into computer systems in October and November. The systems allowed remote control of refrigerators and freezers in supermarkets. The attackers sharply raised temperatures, causing the food to spoil.

Supermarkets in France were hit hardest. Paris has blamed Iran, while suspicions have also been raised about possible Russian involvement.

Juhan Lepassaar, executive director of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), told AFP that the attacks were a reminder of how digitalised the modern world has become. “Today it was refrigerators, tomorrow it could be internet routers, and the day after that household appliances, and so on,” he said. Thousands of connected products span different industries, he added, so the challenge is to make the whole ecosystem resilient, not just secure individual products.

Household appliances that can be controlled remotely over the internet, including refrigerators, televisions, gaming consoles, washing machines, security cameras and home climate-control systems, could also be targeted. Cybercriminals may use such devices not only to take control of them but also to gain access to their owners’ phones, computers and smart locks in homes, offices or other buildings.