Supermarket Chain Thaw Massacre: Russia suspected in Europe’s fridge attacks
Dozens of store refrigerators across five European countries have seen their temperatures raised remotely in a new wave of cyberattacks, following similar incidents in France last month.
The cyberattacks have affected refrigeration units in multiple countries, though specific nations were not named in the reports. These incidents follow similar attacks that targeted French supermarkets last month, where hackers remotely increased temperatures in storage units.
The methods used in these attacks exploit vulnerabilities in PHP, a popular programming language that underpins much of the internet. This has triggered a global response from cybersecurity agencies working to patch the security holes.
Food security concerns
Their methods, however, are far from science fiction.
Experts remain uncertain about the hackers' motives, though the attacks have raised significant questions about food security. The ability to manipulate refrigeration systems remotely represents a tangible threat to food supply chains beyond the usual concerns about digital safety.
Related
