By Basant El-Faramawy
UK meat suppliers experienced fridge temperature spikes overnight due to cyber attacks targeting software used by supermarkets and food suppliers across Europe.
Impact on Meat Suppliers
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) reported a few of its roughly 300 members were affected, with some fridge systems defrosting Monday night and one unit reaching 100°C. However, abattoirs typically run empty units at that time, so no food produce was lost.
NCSC Response
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it is working with affected firms and assessed the national impact as "minimal." NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said they are monitoring the situation and working to close vulnerabilities.
Industry Reactions
No major supermarket chain has been directly impacted, but retailers are urged to monitor systems, update software, and prepare contingency plans. British Retail Consortium's Graham Wynn said retailers invest heavily in cybersecurity and are working with NCSC. British Frozen Food Federation chief executive Rupert Ashby said members are assessing freezer vulnerability.
Langridge Organic Case
Organic wholesaler Langridge Organic had six of ten fridges hacked Monday morning; managing director Alex Pearce detected abnormal temperatures, unplugged the network cable, and reset settings, preventing stock loss.
Broader Cybersecurity Warnings
NCSC head Dr Richard Horne said teams worked overnight to alert vulnerable British firms. The attack on French supermarket fridges involved legacy technology with default passwords. Horne emphasized organizations must take responsibility for their cybersecurity.
NCSC Annual Report Findings
The NCSC annual report revealed its incident management team received 1,831 cyber attack reports this year, with 337 requiring support and 80 nationally significant. The team also warned 8,500 organizations of compromised systems.
