Recent freezer cyberattacks in Europe stem from outdated software, expert says

OPA WIRE, Nov 5 (OPA) — Recent failures of freezers in European retail and healthcare sectors stem primarily from COVID-era changes that allowed technicians to access and service fridges off-site. Kevin Curran, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Ulster, noted that controllers permitting off-site access have in many cases not received updates for roughly 10 years.

Flaws have been known for a number of years, allowing malicious actors to log in without needing authentication. Companies have consistently ignored these vulnerabilities, failing to follow basic cybersecurity best practices such as changing default passwords or deploying virtual private networks.

Curran described the attacks as not sophisticated, while pointing to an unprecedented and dramatic rise in overall cyberattacks. Newly discovered exploits jumped to 17,060 in the last month, a stark contrast to a decade ago when the monthly average hovered between 30 and 40.

In recent weeks, several retail chains suffered significant freezer failures causing multi-million euro losses in spoiled goods. Several blood banks in France faced similar attacks yesterday, though personnel identified and resolved the issues before blood products spoiled.