Supermarket refrigerators and freezers in at least half a dozen European countries were hit with a cyberattack on Monday, following on the heels of similar attacks in France last month and U.S. military bases over the summer.
Stores in Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, and Estonia saw their refrigerators and freezers heated to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), according to a new report from the BBC. The attacks appear to have hit a large number of chains, including Ikea, Delhaize, Carrefour, and SuperValu, among others.
It’s not clear who’s behind the attack, but European officials have said they’re investigating. Millions of euros worth of food had to be thrown away after the attack in France last month, though it’s too early to tell what the economic cost may be this time.
Among the seven European countries where freezers have been hit Monday, Delhaize supermarket locations in Belgium and Luxembourg seem to be suffering the most. About 40 Delhaize supermarkets were attacked, according to the BBC, while there were fewer shops hit in Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, and Estonia.
Supermarkets allow their freezers to connect to the internet so that maintenance and monitoring can occur remotely. Early reports suggest that some of the refrigeration units targeted on Monday were made by a Danish firm called Danfoss, according to Reuters, which were also targeted in France last month.
Patrick Lamplmair, CTO at the Austria-based cybersecurity firm Tributech, told Gizmodo that assets connected to the internet need to be checked for exposure to hackers, no matter how mundane, especially if there have been previous attacks.
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