The US government has issued a joint warning regarding an “ongoing cyber threat” targeting industrial refrigeration systems, following a series of global cyberattacks on freezers and cold storage units. The advisory, released on Thursday by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and several other federal departments, highlights vulnerabilities in internet-connected cooling equipment used in grocery stores, military bases, and medical facilities.
Targeting Critical Cold Chain Infrastructure
According to the joint statement, hackers are actively compromising refrigeration and cold chain monitoring systems. These attacks are affecting critical infrastructure across the food, agriculture, transportation, and medicine-shipping industries. The agencies noted that successful exploitation could allow attackers to manipulate temperature controls, leading to physical hazards such as fire risks, significant inventory loss, and reduced system lifespan.
The warning follows recent waves of cyberattacks in the United Kingdom and Europe, where hackers raised temperatures in freezers across at least a dozen countries. These incidents spoiled defrosted food and destroyed produce. Some affected systems included remote-controlled units manufactured by the Danish company Danfoss, which had ceased providing security updates for its customers’ equipment. In France, hackers targeted a blood bank, boosting temperatures in units storing donated blood, though the attack was stopped before the supplies were compromised.
Reports indicate that the US Department of Defense is investigating a separate spate of hacks targeting freezers at military installations. These incidents were first reported by the cybersecurity blog Signal and Silence. While the US has not officially attributed the attacks to a specific group, security researchers and US officials have broadly suspected Iran of being the culprit.
Urgent Security Measures for Affected Industries
CISA, the FBI, and the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Transportation have urged organizations to take immediate action. The agencies recommend removing remote control systems from the internet, changing and strengthening passwords, applying available patches, and retiring equipment that is no longer supported by vendors. A separate fact sheet from the departments warned that hackers might attempt to force units into continuous heating and defrost cycles, which could cause widespread inventory loss and equipment hazards.
Chris Butera, acting cybersecurity chief at CISA, emphasized the broad scope of the risk. “Every organization that depends on refrigeration and monitoring systems should assume it could be a target,” Butera said.
The advisory underscores the growing intersection of physical infrastructure and digital security. As industrial refrigeration becomes increasingly connected to the internet for remote monitoring and control, it presents a larger attack surface for malicious actors. The US government’s warning serves as a critical alert for industries that rely on precise temperature control to maintain safety and operational integrity.
Source: TechCrunch
