Hackers hot-box thousands of fridges in France

4 days ago

3 min read

It's close to Halloween so I'm going to tell you a spooky story. And what makes it scary is that it's all true.

Shortly before midnight last Sunday, the digital thermostats controlling hundreds of supermarket cold aisles across France began to flicker, then mysteriously... rise. Thousands of freezers, fridges and chiller cabinets suddenly began to heat up.... slowly at first and after only around 5 hours, to well over 122F!

The food inside at first defrosted, then even began to cook. Staff arriving early to restock shelves reported catching a blast of hot air, like opening an oven when they went to fill freezers. One Normandy supermarket reported a number of its freezers had been pushed up to 176F! In some stores the extreme temperatures sparked fires, triggering sprinkler systems water damage. And at the end of it all, the markets catastrophically lost millions in spoiled food. All that tasty French cheese...gone.

What caused the catastrophic event? Was it a Ghostbusters-grade supernatural phenomenon? A government conspiracy? Aliens?

Worse (because it's real)! The freezer "burns" were the result of a bizarre and unprecedented cyber-attack. Hackers had remotely overridden the temperature settings on thousands of freezers, fridges and chiller cabinets simultaneously. As of right now, we still don't know who did it and why.

The Takeaway

France has become one of Europe's most frequently targeted countries for cyberattacks. Hackers have breached major institutions, including the national healthcare system, France Travail employment agency, the National Agency for Identity Documents (ANTS), and several leading mobile phone providers. This summer, cyberattacks on the Ministry of Economy and Finance reportedly exposed the personal and tax records of 678,000 taxpayers. But why would hackers target something as seemingly insignificant as freezers? One possible explanation is a deliberate campaign to destabilize the country by disrupting everyday life, undermining public confidence in government institutions and creating fear and uncertainty among its citizens.

So what can we learn from this attack?

These refrigerators and freezers were connected to the internet. They're what is known as the Internet of Things (IoT) or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices. It's common in supermarkets, where connected refrigeration systems allow operators to monitor temperatures, perform remote maintenance and receive alerts when equipment malfunctions.

A similar incident occurred in here in the states last August, when connected refrigerators and freezers at a dozen military commissaries (grocery stores located on military bases) unexpectedly entered defrost cycles overnight, resulting in significant food losses.

So what made these attacks possible? Outdated software and inadequate maintenance. Some affected refrigeration systems were running obsolete firmware and had not received security updates in years. Others were newer systems that simply had not been updated. In some cases, manufacturers had already warned customers about security vulnerabilities and recommended installing updates or replacing equipment that was no longer supported.

Hackers exploited these weaknesses, turning everyday equipment into an unexpected cybersecurity risk.

Now ask yourself: Does your business use internet connected devices such as smart lighting, thermostats, refrigeration systems, security cameras, or automated controls? When was the last time you checked whether their firmware was up to date? Are any still using factory default or weak passwords?

The takeaway is simple: If a device connects to your network, it needs to be secured and maintained just like your computers. Take time today to review these devices, update their firmware, change weak passwords, and replace equipment that no longer receives security updates. A little prevention today could save your business from a costly disruption tomorrow.

Stay safe out there.

-Attila

New Friday Funnies!

Why should you knock on a refrigerator door before opening it?

In case there’s a salad dressing.

What do refrigerators do for fun?

Just chill.

What do you call the art of Freezer meditation?

Fro-zen.

What veggie should you avoid buying if your fridge is tiny?

Fungi. They take up too mushroom.

How do you know if there’s an elephant in your refrigerator?