European supermarket fridges got hacked. Again. Here’s what to know

Cyberattacks on European supermarket fridges have become a recurring issue, prompting officials to investigate the cold, hard facts. These attacks have resulted in refrigeration systems warming up, leading to spoiled food and significant financial losses. The incidents have affected supermarkets in various European countries, including Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Italy, and Estonia.

One Swedish supermarket reported its fridges and freezers being hacked and set to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). A butcher shop owner in Athens also experienced a similar attack, with someone raising the temperature of a refrigeration unit to 150 degrees Celsius (302 Fahrenheit). The technician managing the unit's temperature settings took two hours to regain control, and no meat products were affected.

Cybersecurity experts warn that these attacks highlight the risks associated with connecting devices to the internet without proper security measures. Katerina Mitrokotsa, a cybersecurity professor at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, emphasized that fridges, despite their small size, are essentially tiny computers that can be vulnerable to attacks. She noted that connecting fridges enables cost-saving and waste reduction, but also creates entry points that need to be secured like any other IT system.

Experts point to outdated remote control modules and discontinued controllers as potential vulnerabilities, as well as weak passwords and end-of-life firmware. British cybersecurity officials attribute the latest attack to exploitation of known vulnerabilities, emphasizing the importance of improving cyber hygiene, such as using strong passwords and updating software regularly.