The FBI has alerted U.S. grocery stores and cold storage facilities to the risk of cyberattacks targeting industrial refrigeration and cold-chain monitoring systems. This warning follows a series of cyber incidents in Europe where hackers manipulated freezer and refrigerator temperatures in supermarkets, leading to significant food spoilage.
The FBI's Cyber Branch shared on X that these systems, crucial for maintaining safe temperatures for food, medicine, and other products across critical infrastructure, are being subjected to malicious cyber activity globally. The agency noted that attackers exploit security weaknesses in unpatched or internet-accessible controllers, as well as default passwords, to alter system settings. This can result in inventory loss and equipment damage.
This warning comes in the wake of incidents in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia, where supermarkets experienced increased temperatures in their freezers and refrigerators due to cyber interference. In the U.S., six military base commissaries experienced freezer malfunctions in August, which are being investigated as suspected cyberattacks.
The FBI has recommended that organizations utilizing these temperature control systems take several precautionary measures. These include removing controllers from the public web, implementing firewalls for access control, changing default passwords, understanding vendor configurations, setting safe temperature limits, and ensuring alerts reach appropriate personnel. The agency detailed these recommendations further in a published advisory.
Assistant Director of the FBI Cyber Division, Brett Leatherman, emphasized the importance of these steps, stating that these systems protect essential goods across various sectors. He warned that attackers gain access through unpatched systems, internet accessibility, or default passwords.
Experts believe U.S. supermarkets should be highly concerned. Sean Tufts, field chief technology officer of cybersecurity firm Claroty, noted that similar refrigeration controllers are used widely in the food retail industry. He explained that remote connections, necessary for monitoring and repairs, can become entry points for attackers if not properly secured. Tufts stressed that proactive security measures are essential, stating, "True cyber resilience means getting ahead of risks by understanding where your systems are exposed before attackers do."