HACKERS are targeting supermarket freezers across Europe as a spy agency warns that the UK could be next.
A new wave of cyber attacks has seen industrial coolers in Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Estonia malfunction.
It’s been reported that between Sunday night and Monday morning specific models of freezers were hijacked.
This forced cooling units to spike in temperature, rising from -27C to 50C in some cases.
Other internet-linked chillers had their automatic defrost functions secretly triggered, melting hoards of meat, ready meals, dairy, and frozen veg.
In Belgium and Luxembourg, both fridges and freezers have been affected by a suspected cyber attack, with around 40 Delhaize shops forced to throw away spoiled food.
Meanwhile, several ICA and Coop in Sweden fell victim to the hackers, along with 13 SuperValu stores in Ireland.
It’s been predicted that millions of pounds worth of food has had to be destroyed after being removed from the shelves over fears of improper storage.
Last month, France suffered a large-scale attack on up to 700 cooling units across multiple supermarket chains.
Some of the retail networks had to pull their systems entirely offline to prevent a catastrophic “security issue”.
These instances have highlighted the vulnerability of these internet-connected systems.
A European Commission spokesperson said these attacks highlight the vulnerability of these internet-connected systems and the importance of robust cyber security.
“These incidents show that cyberattacks can disrupt services, affect businesses, and directly affect citizens’ daily lives.”
So far, no person or rogue group has claimed responsibility for the worrying digital raid.
Now, UK supermarkets are scrambling to protect their own aisles amid fears that hackers could target British food supplies next.
More than 800 UK fridges are reachable on the internet and could be intercepted by hackers.
According to The Grocer, UK Cyber Defence said hackers could access the log in to some supermarket fridges through its built-in computer, where temperatures could be changed and settings altered.
Industry insiders confirmed the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) — the operational cyber wing of intelligence agency GCHQ — has stepped in.
It comes days after the government issued a survival guide list and told Brits to stock up on food and supplies.
Just last week, websites across the world are feared to be at risk as a “critical security issue” continues to spark chaos online.
The UK has launched an urgent probe to identify any exposure in its online services after major flaws were found in the PHP programming language that can be found on websites such as Wikipedia and Amazon.
Spy bosses are in direct contact with retail chiefs, urging them to immediately isolate internet-connected freezers and upgrade their security.
An NCSC spokesman said: “The NCSC is working with its international partners and industry to fully understand details of an incident.”
A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has also confirmed that they are in contact with British supermarkets to ensure they’re prepared for any potential attacks.
Graham Wynn, Assistant Director of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “Retailers invest heavily in their cybersecurity and are currently working with the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure their fridges and freezers are secure as possible against potential attacks.”
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