A cyber-attack has targeted refrigeration systems in Europe, resulting in members of the UK meat industry being affected.
The cyber-attack follows a previous targeted supermarket cyber-attack in October, which saw fresh and frozen food in European units spoiling as a result of the units being turned off or warmed up.
This time, the hack affected refrigerators manufactured by Belgian company Sabcobel, and around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were impacted. Stores in Sweden, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands and Estonia also saw disruption as evaporators within the fridges were warmed up after being switched to defrost mode.
Tony Goodger, head of communications at the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS), commented: “Our view is that the hackers have decided to target European supermarkets and a few of our 300+ members who operate the same software have unexpectedly become ‘collateral’ within the hack.
“None who have been affected have lost any meat but once again this must act as a reminder to all in the food industry at whatever point in the supply chain they are that their businesses may be seen by some as targets. We urge our members and the wider industry to vigilant.”
It was reported that two AIMS members saw their refrigerators begin to defrost, and another member had its cold units rise to 100°C. Though the affected units were empty, with no produce lost, AIMS urged businesses to “stay vigilant”.
A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) stated: “We are aware of a small number of UK organisations that may be affected by this incident as a result of vulnerabilities on their systems, and the NCSC is supporting those that may be impacted.
“We continue to liaise with our international partners and the affected sectors to understand and mitigate its impact.”
NCSC called for any affected companies to report to the organisation, stating that it stood “ready to assist”. It highlighted the importance of reviewing business security systems, and told businesses to ensure that arrangements for responding to and recovering from cyber-attacks are established and maintained.
