Cyber Attacks Cripple European Food Supply Chains

The attacks first hit France, spoiling fresh and frozen food valued at millions of euros. Temperatures in affected supermarket refrigeration units soared to 50C (122F).

Cybersecurity researchers identified these critical vulnerabilities months before the attacks began. Exploitation continued.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) now collaborates with British retailers, preparing for potential future attacks.

The impact spread across the continent. Thirteen SuperValu stores in Ireland suffered a cyber-incident, confirmed by owner Musgrave Group. At least one Ikea in Belgium removed food products from refrigeration units due to the incident.

A spokesman for Colruyt Group stated five of its Spar stores in Belgium were targeted. Meat processing firms in the UK also endured cyberattacks. Major UK chains like Tesco and Sainsbury's utilize similar equipment to that targeted in Europe, raising alarms about broader exposure.

In Sweden, a handful of supermarkets saw refrigerator and freezer temperatures spike on November 2, forcing them to discard spoiled food. At an ICA Baronen store in Stockholm, a notice indicated freezers were broken due to a cyberattack, which occurred at 2am local time but went unnoticed until 5:30am.

Six Coop stores were affected by similar incidents. Ahold Delhaize reported a cybersecurity incident to police in October after detecting suspicious activity. Belgian federal prosecutors launched an investigation into the attacks, though no group has yet claimed responsibility.

The NCSC is aware of a couple of instances where vulnerable technology had been exploited in the UK. Paul Chichester, from the NCSC, stated, "We’re aware of those incidents in the UK, and obviously we’re working with the affected organisations. We’ll keep monitoring that. At the moment, the impact is minimal."

Dr. Richard Horne, also from the NCSC, confirmed the agency "worked through the night" contacting organizations with exposed vulnerable technology. He added, "Last night, we had people working through the night contacting organisations that we could see they had vulnerable technology exposed."

The NCSC's annual report, released on Tuesday, revealed 337 cyberattack reports required support. Eighty were deemed nationally significant. The NCSC also warned 8,500 organizations whose systems had been compromised.

Fridges and freezers were remotely manipulated. Attackers increased thermostats to high temperatures or switched units to defrost mode. Software for fridges often lacks security updates for extended periods, unlike desktops and phones, creating significant vulnerabilities.

Dr. Horne highlighted the systemic issue, stating, "For decades, we have collectively got away with doing tech on the cheap." He continued, "Now that also carries through to the technology that underpins the automation of physical processes that are vital to modern life. Electricity switching, sluice gates in water facilities, dam operations, manufacturing lines, heating and refrigeration controls. Whilst they are not seen as traditional IT, they too are not built on the strong foundations they require. Their resilience and security is even more overlooked in investment decisions. Our resulting exposure as a society is huge and increasingly exploited in cyber attacks as we saw in the recent disruption of refrigeration units in supermarkets in France."

Dr. Richard Horne indicated that For decades, we have collectively got away with doing tech on the cheap. Now that also carries through to the technology that underpins the automation of physical processes that are vital to modern life. Electricity switching, sluice gates in water facilities, dam operations, manufacturing lines, heating and refrigeration controls. Whilst they are not seen as traditional IT, they too are not built on the strong foundations they require. Their resilience and security is even more overlooked in investment decisions. Our resulting exposure as a society is huge and increasingly exploited in cyber attacks as we saw in the recent disruption of refrigeration units in supermarkets in France.

Six US military bases also experienced fridge malfunctions in August. Authorities investigated these incidents as potential cyberattacks.