Hackers are targeting commercial refrigeration systems. Why are they internet-connected at all?

U.S. officials say there is an ongoing cyber threat to industrial refrigeration systems. The warning comes from a handful of agencies, including the FBI and departments of health, transportation, and agriculture.

Last week, hackers took control of refrigerators and freezers in supermarkets across Europe and raised the temperature, ruining tons of food. Most industrial refrigerators are now connected to the internet, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Years ago, Chris Bronk, a professor at the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs, had a problem with his refrigerator.

“By connecting the fridge to WiFi, the repair person could see what broke in the fridge, all the error codes, order the replacement parts, have them delivered to my house,” and only come to fix it once all the parts had arrived, he said.

That’s one of the benefits of having physical things, Bronk said.

“It is convenient, no question,” he said. “And for a low-margin business like a supermarket, knowing that everything’s running optimally, that’s going to save pennies, and that adds up.”

But that connectivity comes with risks, especially because a lot of these systems are old, said Nicole Carignan, senior vice president of security and AI strategy at Darktrace.

“The infrastructure that really protects our food, our water, our power, the critical aspects of our day-to-day life have not been invested in since they've been installed,” she said — which makes them vulnerable to hackers.

Carignan said there is a lot companies can do in the short term to improve cybersecurity. “It's going to require things like VPNs. It's going to require what we call ‘network segmentation,’ to put layers of protection in front of those assets, so they're not completely open to the internet.”

Companies also need to develop long-term strategies, Carignan added, to better protect critical infrastructure.