Fridge hack costing millions and sparking fires stemmed from poor security
Summary
Hackers targeted refrigeration systems in about 700 supermarkets across France, causing food spoilage and some fires by remotely raising fridge temperatures. The attack exploited weak security in internet-connected controllers from several manufacturers, which had known vulnerabilities and lacked basic protections like updated passwords and restricted access.Key Facts
- Around 700 supermarkets in France were affected by a hack on their refrigeration systems.
- The hackers accessed internet-connected controllers that manage the refrigerators and freezers.
- Attackers turned on defrosters, raising temperatures up to 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit), spoiling food and causing some fires.
- The refrigerators used controllers from companies Danfoss (Denmark) and Dixell/Copeland (USA).
- These controllers had critical security flaws, such as passwords that changed daily but could be predicted using public information.
- Many affected stores did not use basic protections like VPNs (private networks) or lists of allowed IP addresses for remote access.
- Similar vulnerabilities were warned about months before by security firms and the US Cybersecurity agency.
- The motive for the hack is unclear but could involve large-scale vandalism or international disruption.
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