The "Freezer Attacks"

Sources: Iran suspected of being behind French "freezer attack"

French authorities suspect that hackers linked to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard were behind the cyberattacks that knocked out commercial refrigeration and freezing systems in France on October 11. This is according to two sources who spoke to Reuters.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has threatened the country with new sanctions and stated that the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office have declined to comment on the reports. Iran’s UN delegation has also declined to answer any questions. The country has consistently denied being behind any cyberattacks.

A similar "freezer attack" affected Swedish grocery chains, such as Coop and ICA, last week.

Expert: We are connecting devices faster than we can secure them

The cyberattacks seen this autumn, which targeted commercial refrigeration and freezing systems, highlight the risks of connecting everything to the internet. This is the view of several experts who spoke with The Wall Street Journal.

"The world is connecting everyday equipment to the internet faster than we can secure it," Boudewijn Wijnands, CEO of the security firm Fortaegis, told the newspaper.

One potential path forward could be to embed security systems directly into the chips themselves, rather than focusing primarily on software and networks. 

Kyiv’s cyber chief: Attacks on freezers are straightforward

Carrying out a cyberattack against appliances such as refrigerators and freezers is simple, says Oleksandr Voloshchuk, deputy head of cybersecurity in Kyiv, speaking to the news agency TT.

Last week, several countries—including Sweden—were hit by attacks targeting refrigerators and freezers. Retailers such as Coop and ICA were among those forced to discard food.

"If you connect freezers to the internet, you must also protect them. From what we have seen in this attack, many of the systems involved had not been updated," says Voloshchuk.