US warns of 'ongoing cyber threat' to industrial refrigeration systems

The United States has issued a warning about a continuing cyber threat to industrial refrigeration systems, stating that every organization relying on cold storage should consider themselves at risk of hacker attacks. The alert, released on Thursday by the FBI, the cyber defense agency CISA, and other government departments, highlighted that unidentified malicious cyber actors are targeting weaknesses in internet-accessible electronic temperature and commercial refrigeration controllers found in retail grocery and cold storage facilities.

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could enable the attackers to alter temperatures, potentially resulting in dangerous consequences such as fire hazards, loss of inventory, and alterations to the system's service life, according to the joint statement. Chris Butera, CISA's acting executive assistant director for cybersecurity, emphasized that organizations dependent on refrigeration and monitoring systems should view themselves as potential targets of such cyber threats.