Hackers Push European Retail Fridges to 50C as NCSC Warns AI Could Widen Attacks
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Nov 8
Hackers Push European Retail Fridges to 50C as NCSC Warns AI Could Widen Attacks
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 8
Summary
Retailers in at least eight European countries saw internet-connected fridges and freezers spike to as high as 50C, with one London wholesaler cutting the network cable after panels flashed defrost mode.
Default passwords and other known flaws in older refrigeration controllers let attackers reach units remotely through system providers; Danfoss said much of the affected equipment was obsolete and no longer receiving updates.
The fridge disruption followed French supermarket and blood-bank incidents last month and came amid a broader burst of cyberattacks, including a $6.3 billion Binance theft and a fake nuclear alert sent to Kyiv.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said the short-term risk is a sharp rise in incident volume, warning AI-assisted tools could help target power stations, airports and hospitals by 2028 even if this fridge hack did not require AI.
Experts said the campaign fits a wider European pattern shaped by Russia-linked hybrid activity and opportunistic hackers, though some cautioned the current wave resembles past surges such as WannaCry and NotPetya rather than a wholly new era.