By Karim Hammam
Food suppliers in the UK have been hit by cyber-attacks a day after hackers raised temperatures on supermarket freezers across seven European countries. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was working with affected companies but described the national impact as minimal.
European attacks precede UK impact
Retailers in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden reported problems with refrigeration systems on Monday, with some units reaching 50°C (122°F). Several companies confirmed they had been hacked. Similar incidents occurred in France last month, where legacy technology with default passwords was exploited.
NCSC assesses threat
Speaking at the launch of the NCSC's annual review, director of operations Paul Chichester said the agency was aware of the UK incidents and monitoring them. NCSC chief executive Richard Horne described the fridge attacks as the "foothills" of an enlarged cyber threat, noting that AI systems are highlighting flaws in IT networks that owners have neglected to patch.
Industry reports collateral damage
The British Association of Independent Meat Suppliers said some of its more than 300 members were affected as "collateral" in the hack, though no meat was lost. A London fruit and vegetable wholesaler prevented escalation by disconnecting its cold storage units from the internet. Langridge Organic managing director Alex Pearce said hackers changed parameters on several units to defrost at 150°C for over four hours, but staff intervened before stock was damaged. The company uses the same Copeland control system involved in the French incidents.
Researchers link activity to Russian infrastructure
Cybersecurity firm Lupovis recorded 256 attempted attacks on dummy Danfoss fridge controllers between 20 and 30 October, using factory-default credentials and "bulletproof" hosting. Chief executive Xavier Bellekens said the infrastructure overlapped with that previously associated with Russian-linked malicious operations, though a specific group has not been identified.
