Hot fridges, a fake nuclear alert and a $6bn heist: are we in the foothills of a hacking epidemic?
As AI exposes flaws in IT systems and geopolitics plays out on the cyber frontline, some experts say the events of recent weeks could soon be a common occurence Alex Pearce was doing the morning rounds at his fruit and vegetable wholesale business in London on Monday last week when he noticed something odd. The defrost light on refrigeration unit 2 was on, and the panel reading was 150C. Unit 4…
UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns that recent events, such as AI exposing IT system flaws and cyber incidents, could become more common. On Monday, Alex Pearce, a wholesale fruit and vegetable business owner, noticed his refrigeration units' defrost lights malfunctioning. He disconnected the units from the internet, suspecting a cyber-attack.
Similar incidents were reported in several European countries, with some refrigerators reaching 50°C (122°F). The attacks came amid a significant cryptocurrency heist and a fake nuclear alert in Ukraine. NCSC head Richard Horne stated that vulnerabilities are waiting to be exploited, and the immediate risk is a surge in incidents.
AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT helped uncover flaws in computer languages, reminiscent of China's Covid ground zero, according to tech commentator Azeem Azhar. The NCSC expects AI-powered malicious software to target UK's power stations, airports, and hospitals by 2028. While AI didn't aid the fridge hacks, older systems without security updates were vulnerable.
NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said the hackers didn't need AI to discover the fridge flaws. Experts compare the recent incidents to previous major cyber-attacks, emphasizing that while the wave of events is concerning, it is not unprecedented.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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