US Government Issues Warning on Cyberattacks Targeting Industrial Refrigeration Systems

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US agencies warn of ongoing cyber threats targeting industrial freezers across food, transportation, and medical sectors, with risks of equipment damage and inventory loss.

The U.S. government has issued a warning about an ongoing cyber threat affecting industrial refrigeration units, following reports of widespread cyberattacks on freezers and cooling systems in supermarkets, military bases, and blood banks globally. A joint statement from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, and multiple federal departments revealed that hackers are targeting internet-connected refrigeration and cold chain monitoring systems, crucial for sectors including food, agriculture, transportation, and medical supply shipping.

Officials caution that attackers who exploit these systems could manipulate temperatures, potentially causing physical damages such as fire hazards, spoilage of inventory, and reduced equipment lifespan. Recent attacks, particularly in the UK and across Europe, saw hackers raising temperatures of freezers and chilling units in at least twelve countries, spoiling food supplies and damaging produce. Some compromised systems used remote-controlled refrigeration units manufactured by Danish company Danfoss, which had ceased providing security updates.

The attacks also affected a blood bank in France, where hackers attempted to increase temperatures in storage units holding donated blood but were prevented from causing harm to the blood supply. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Defense is investigating similar incursions targeting military refrigeration units.

While no official attribution has been made, security researchers and U.S. officials broadly suspect Iran's involvement in these cyberattacks. To counter the threat, agencies recommend industries to disconnect remote control systems from the internet, strengthen password protections, apply available patches, and replace unsupported equipment. The attackers may induce continuous heating and defrost cycles, causing extensive inventory losses and equipment failures.

Acting CISA cybersecurity chief Chris Butera emphasized the scope of the threat: “Every organization that depends on refrigeration and monitoring systems should assume it could be a target.” This alert underlines vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure related to cold chain management vulnerable to cyber exploitation.