Fridges in supermarkets across Europe have been hacked and set to defrost for a second time this year as part of a cyberattack that will likely cause millions of euros worth of damage.
BNO News reports that fridges in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, Estonia, and the Netherlands were hacked last night.
Affected fridges were programmed to defrost and reach temperatures up to 158°F (70°C), causing chilled foods to spoil.
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Unlike many cybercriminals, the fridge hackers aren’t attempting to extract a crypto ransom or siphon any funds.
Instead, it appears that whoever’s behind the attacks just wants to cause chaos and damage physical infrastructure in Europe.
Someone really doesn’t like functioning fridges
Hundreds of French supermarket fridges were also hacked last month.
At the time, Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard told publishers that he expects losses to amount to “tens of millions of euros nationwide in a single day.”
Another cyberattack in August also disrupted freezers across at least six US military bases. The Pentagon is now coordinating with French authorities in their investigation.
Potential culprits include teenagers and Russia
Gérôme Billois, who is a partner in the Cybersecurity Business Unit at Wavestone, told The Guardian that the culprits in these attacks will likely be youngsters and activists, or state-sponsored actors.
He suggested that the fridge incident is most likely a destabilisation attack “designed to convey the message to populations that they are not safe, to convey the impression that the government is falling apart, and ultimately to instil fear.”
“Currently there are two international actors known for doing this sort of thing: Iran and Russia,” Billois said.
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