Hackers Heat Estonian Supermarket Fridges to 50°C in Cyberattack
On the morning of 2 November, hackers attacked a large Estonian grocery chain, gaining access to a computer that remotely controlled a store's cooling system. The attack was detected and stopped within ten minutes, and no losses were incurred.
A large grocery retail chain in Estonia was hit by a cyberattack on the morning of 2 November. Hackers gained access to a computer that remotely controlled a store's cooling system and raised the temperature in a refrigerated display case to as much as 50°C, according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR.
The attack affected a client of the company Kitman Coldtech. Its head, Jan Moutso, said it involved a large store in one of Estonia's retail chains, but he did not name the specific store. He said the attackers accessed a computer controlling an older-generation Danfoss cooling system and changed the temperature settings.
Similar cases in other countries
Moutso said the method resembles incidents in October in France and the Netherlands, where hackers also interfered with supermarkets' digital cooling systems and altered temperature settings.
Problems with refrigerators and freezers, possibly caused by a cyberattack, were also recorded in Sweden on 2 November. In the night to 2 November, cooling and freezing equipment stopped working in stores of the Ica chain in several cities, and in one store hackers reportedly raised the temperature to 50 degrees. At the Coop chain, a cyberattack was identified in six stores. The total number of affected stores in Sweden is not yet known.
Vulnerability of older equipment
Cooling systems in large supermarkets are usually digitised and connected to a network. Attackers deliberately look for weaknesses in specific devices, especially those still using outdated, non-updated control units. Retail chains have already begun addressing the problem and updating the controllers, but older systems still operate in some places.
This time the attack was detected and stopped within ten minutes, so no losses were incurred. However, such interference with cooling systems can directly endanger food safety and cause significant financial losses.
