In the space of a few weeks, two successive waves of cyberattacks have caused serious malfunctions in supermarket fridges and freezers across Europe. Some thermostats were remotely set as high as 50°C. The attacks have put food safety at risk and raised fears that the food supply chain could become a new front for digital attacks.
The European Union has condemned the attacks, describing them as a “deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain and undermine consumer confidence”.
Seven European countries affected
The latest wave hit refrigeration units in stores in the following countries:
- Belgium: Carrefour, Intermarché and Ikea
- Sweden: Coop and ICA
- Luxembourg: Delhaize
- Finland: Kesko
- Ireland: SuperValu
- Estonia: stores also affected
A similar incident was also recorded in Greece.
The incidents closely resemble the cyberattacks in France about three weeks earlier. In those attacks, unknown perpetrators gained access to the software that manages the refrigeration systems. Temperatures rose sharply, and retail chains were forced to withdraw large quantities of food.
Something similar may have happened in the United States in early August, when a series of unexplained refrigeration failures hit military commissary stores on at least six military bases. The Pentagon is investigating whether a cyberattack was involved.
The frequency of these incidents is adding to fears that internet-connected devices are becoming a new target for cybercriminals. Besides refrigerators, many household and commercial appliances can be controlled remotely, including ovens, washing machines and central heating systems.
Who is behind the attacks
So far, no one has claimed responsibility. No politically motivated hacker group has come forward, and there is no sign that the perpetrators are seeking a ransom through ransomware. A ransom would in any case be hard to demand, because the products are already damaged once the fridges overheat.
With no claim of responsibility, several possibilities remain open. According to Marta Rybczynska, founder of Ygreky and a cybersecurity specialist, the perpetrators may be trying to cause social disruption or preparing further cyberattacks, without any immediate financial gain.
She said a state-backed group cannot be ruled out. However, she noted that no published findings from the investigations in France have yet confirmed that scenario.
Rafe Pilling, Director of Threat Intelligence at cybersecurity company Sophos, takes a similar view. He sees two main possibilities: a demonstration of technical capability, or a lone hacker acting for personal reasons.
The possibility of state-backed hacker groups being involved is being examined closely, because images of empty food shelves could alarm large parts of the population. Suspicion has also turned towards groups linked to Russia and China, although no confirmed evidence of their involvement has emerged.
The assessment carries more weight given warnings from Western intelligence services about sabotage campaigns in Europe. The services attribute these campaigns to Moscow and say they may intensify in the coming period.
Why refrigeration systems are an easy target
The main problem appears to be inadequate protection of the systems that control commercial refrigeration. Their software is connected to the internet. This allows remote management, but it also creates potential security gaps.
Computers and mobile phones receive regular security updates. Commercial equipment, by contrast, can run for years on older software versions, and some systems are no longer supported by their manufacturers.
Pavlina Pavlova, founder of the non-profit cybersecurity organisation Critical Cyber, believes the attacks may continue precisely because these systems remain vulnerable. She said they rely on outdated software, and upgrading them is often either not a priority or no longer possible, so they go without essential security fixes.
“They become targets because of a combination of three factors: accessibility, attractiveness as targets and vulnerability. They are accessible systems without adequate protection,” she told Euronews.
Delays in installing security updates make the situation worse. Nick Jackson, Director of Cyber Operations at Bitdefender, explained that businesses may avoid upgrades because they take time and require cooling systems to be temporarily shut down. For a supermarket, that is a significant operational problem. In other cases, those responsible simply do not realise that these devices are a potential target for cyberattacks.
Artificial intelligence and rising risks
Experts warn that the spread of artificial intelligence could make attacks of this kind even more frequent. The technology makes it easier to identify weaknesses in digital systems and to automate complex attacks, so attackers need less technical knowledge.
According to Ms Pavlova, AI is speeding up the detection and exploitation of vulnerabilities, even in critical services that citizens depend on. Meanwhile, the businesses responsible for protecting this infrastructure struggle to install security fixes at the same pace.
How supermarkets can protect themselves
Strengthening cybersecurity in refrigeration systems is now an urgent need. Experts recommend:
- installing the latest security updates
- upgrading older systems
- better protecting internet-connected devices
According to the Belgian group Sabcobel, the impact of the latest wave of attacks could have been far more serious if work to upgrade refrigeration units had not begun after the incidents in France on 12 October.
With information from ERT News, The Guardian and Euronews
