Who is behind the cyber attacks on food refrigerators in Europe?

Cyber attacks on food refrigerators in supermarket chains across Western Europe have caused economic damage and food destruction. European intelligence agencies are investigating and suspect a state-sponsored actor, possibly from North Korea, Russia, or China. The UK has not been affected due to the low number of internet-connected cooling systems.

In recent weeks, Europe has been suffering cyber attacks targeting food refrigerators in retail food chains across the western part of the continent. The attacks, the latest of which occurred yesterday (Monday), have caused refrigerators and freezers to heat up to high temperatures, leading to economic damage and food destruction. European intelligence agencies have begun investigating and have compiled a list of suspects. A senior executive at the cybersecurity company Sophos assessed that the responsible party is either a specific country seeking to send a message or a lone hacker. Heads of European intelligence agencies tend to assess that it is a state-sponsored actor, due to the psychological impact of food shortages. North Korea was suspected of stealing digital currencies from Binance last week, while Russia and China are also on the list of suspects, against the backdrop of tensions between Russia and NATO. The simplicity of the breach, without the use of malicious software, makes it difficult to identify the perpetrator. The UK has not been affected so far due to the low number of internet-connected cooling systems, but retailers there are working with the National Cyber Security Centre to defend themselves.