November 6, 2026
Today, Thursday, US authorities warned in a joint statement issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity Agency and other government departments, of an ongoing cyber threat targeting industrial refrigeration systems, calling on every organization that relies on cold storage to assume that it is being targeted by hackers.
The statement explained that malicious actors – who have not yet been identified – are targeting vulnerabilities in electronic temperature control devices and commercial refrigeration devices available online in grocery stores and cold storage facilities.
The statement pointed out the seriousness of these attacks, which enable hackers to change temperatures, which may cause serious material damage, including the risk of fires, loss of inventory, and changes that negatively affect the lifespan of the system.
In the same context, Chris Butera, acting associate executive director for cybersecurity, said: “Every organization that relies on cooling and monitoring systems should assume that they may be the target of these attacks.”
This warning comes in conjunction with the French authorities revealing, yesterday, Wednesday, that they thwarted a cyberattack targeting a number of blood banks with the aim of raising temperatures to dangerous levels, stressing that the attackers did not succeed in causing damage to blood products or samples.
This incident was preceded by reports received by supermarkets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands last month, which reported that their refrigerators and freezers were subjected to remote control operations, which led to their temperatures rising and tons of food being destroyed, with losses estimated at millions of euros.
