According to many cyber experts the IT-systems connected to often outdated equipment are particularly vulnerable.
After previous attacks in France and the US, several chains in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden experienced a severe rise in fridge and freezer temperatures, on Monday, spoiling many products within them and revealing the risks associated with connecting industrial equipment to the internet.
Industrial equipment like refrigerators, previously operated offline, are getting connected to the internet, to make them convenient for users to operate them remotely. This connectivity also makes it possible for attackers to interfere through the same digital networks. In France, the hackers targeted the refrigeration systems developed by Danish firm Danfoss, which is used by many shops.
Without proper protections, “any factory or equipment” connected to the internet — ranging from carmakers to electricity or transport infrastructure — could face similar risks, said Olivier Daloy, a cybersecurity expert at Zscaler.
According to many cyber experts the IT-systems connected to often outdated equipment are particularly vulnerable. Infiltrating those IT systems, the hackers could cause disruptions in the real physical world. Daloy highlighted two particular risks: technical vulnerability and compromised credentials that can allow hackers to login into the equipment.
In France, the October cyberattack was carried out, thanks to “basic security shortcomings”, such as the fridges’ direct exposure to the internet without any security and weak password.
Figuring out who could be behind the attacks is extremely complicated as the attacks weren’t that sophisticated, so it couldn’t be determined whether the hackers had significant resources or not.
A 2025 French national security document categorised such attacks as the ones that must be treated with priority. The effects of such a breach, extends far beyond the event itself.
