Hackers raised freezer temperature at Estonian supermarket chain to +50°C

An Estonian supermarket chain has been hit by a cyber attack which saw attackers access a computer controlling refrigeration, and setting a freezer to 50 degrees above zero, Report informs referring to ERR.

Jann Mutso, CEO of Kitman Coldtech, which makes the affected tech, said one of its clients was attacked, adding that other Estonian clients have also been hit. The methods match similar attacks seen in France and the Netherlands last month.

Mutso declined to tell ERR which store's cooling system had been the victim, and said due to a swift response no wide-ranging damage was caused by the sudden temperature spike.

"One of our clients was attacked," Mutso said, describing the victim as a "large chain store." He continued: "More has happened. I don't know exactly yet, but other clients in Estonia have also been attacked, not only ours. This is very fresh, it happened this morning."

The attackers gained access to the control computer of an older type of Danfoss refrigeration system and raised its temperature to 50 degrees above zero, much as had happened in the incidents in France and the Netherlands recently.

"The signature is the same, but I can't comment further yet," Mutso said.

Mutso said it is normal in large food stores for refrigeration systems to be digital and connected to the network, but that the current attack had sought specific security holes. Supermarkets are tackling the issue, he said.

"All the store chains have started fighting this and have updated their controllers, but there are also places where the controllers are old and not updated, and it is those which are being targeted now," he continued.

He said the current incident was responded to within 10 minutes of being reported, meaning no damage was caused. However, disrupting digital systems can directly impact food safety and cause significant damage, Mutso added.

According to information on Kitman Coldtech's website, its clients include four major supermarket chains in Estonia: Selver, Rimi, Coop and Lidl.