The Freezer Attacks

EU calls for increased IT security: “Tomorrow it could be household appliances”

The EU is urging member states to invest more in IT defense following the “freezer attacks” targeting twelve European countries.

“This time it was freezers; tomorrow it could be routers, the day after that household appliances, and so on,” says Juhan Lepassaar, head of the EU’s cybersecurity agency, ENISA, according to AFP.

He noted that IT security does not come cheap, and urged manufacturers to design products with built-in security.

The EU is expected to approve a doubling of funding for ENISA next year—a move Lepassaar describes as “a good first step.”

Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin (Moderate Party), stated earlier today that the threat landscape facing Sweden has intensified, according to TV4 Nyheterna.

France summons Iranian ambassador following freezer attacks

France has summoned the Iranian ambassador in the wake of the “freezer attacks,” reports AFP.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has accused Iran of being behind the cyberattacks that took place in October. He has also called for European sanctions against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—such as entry bans into European territory and the freezing of assets—according to Franceinfo.

“We are ruling nothing out and will take all measures we deem proportionate and necessary to deter further attacks,” he says.

It remains unclear who is behind the attacks. According to reports, two pro-Russian hacker groups, among others, have claimed responsibility.