Israel's National Cyber Directorate warns supermarkets of cyberattacks on cooling systems

Israel's National Cyber Directorate warned supermarkets and food companies to secure refrigeration systems after hackers in Europe remotely altered temperatures, destroying food and causing fires. No active attacks have been detected in Israel.

The Israel National Cyber Directorate warned today (Monday) Israeli supermarket chains, food companies, and logistics centers about cyberattacks targeting cooling and freezing systems. The warning comes after a series of incidents in Europe, where hackers remotely took control of temperature control systems in supermarkets, altered cooling settings, and caused large quantities of food to spoil, amounting to millions of euros in losses. The directorate recommended conducting an immediate inspection of cooling and control systems, especially those allowing remote connection, and changing default passwords. According to the directorate, there have been isolated and insignificant attack incidents in Israel over the past three years. Among the European incidents: attacks on the ICA and Coop chains in Sweden and Belgium, and on the Intermarché and U chains in France, where the temperature in cooling systems rose to up to 50 degrees Celsius. Some of the affected systems operated using software from the Danish company Danfoss. The directorate emphasizes that protection is also required for operational systems connected to the network, as damage to them could cause physical harm and disrupt business continuity.