Hackers Probed European Fridge Systems Weeks Before Cyberattacks on Supermarkets and Blood Banks
Cybersecurity researchers detected hackers probing internet-connected refrigeration systems across Europe weeks before a series of cyberattacks disrupted supermarkets and blood banks. These incidents, occurring on November 2 and 3, affected refrigeration systems in supermarkets across nine European countries and several blood banks in France. Hackers exploited weak cybersecurity and vulnerabilities in Danfoss’s AK-SM refrigeration system manager, setting fridges and freezers to defrost or raising temperatures to as high as 50 degrees Celsius. This forced many grocery stores to discard spoiled produce. Cybersecurity firm Lupovis observed a period of reconnaissance between October 20 and 30, with over 276 attempts from 91 different threat actors targeting specific components of Danfoss controllers. These probes involved attempts to use default passwords and exploit known vulnerabilities. The attacks highlight how easily cyberattacks can disrupt daily life by targeting critical infrastructure systems.
