Cyberattack disrupts refrigeration in European supermarkets

A cyberattack over the weekend disrupted refrigeration systems in hundreds of European supermarkets, causing millions of dollars in food spoilage and raising concerns about similar incidents in the U.S.

Hackers affected about 700 grocery stores in France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Germany by turning on the defrost cycles in display cases, forcing all food in those cases to be discarded. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack or demanded a ransom.


Supermarket refrigeration systems are operated by controllers that can be accessed online.

 These refrigeration units are mechanical devices that monitor performance, temperature and utilization,  cybersecurity expert Nick Paulukow said.  It's connected to the internet to allow controllers to kind of monitor these systems. 

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Paulukow said this type of hack could also happen in American supermarkets and even to modern appliances in homes that are connected to the internet.

 When we access the internet and put something on the internet, such as a TV or another device, we really have invited someone in and opened the door to allowing them to be part of our household,  he said.
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