What happened?
The U.S. government published a joint statement after reports of mass hacks targeting freezer systems around the world. The statement describes the attacks as an "ongoing cyber threat."
Which sectors are affected?
According to the government statement, the attacks are affecting the food, transportation and healthcare industries. The targeting of industrial, retail and military freezers shows how widely temperature-controlled infrastructure is deployed.
Why it matters
Freezers are used in everything from food safety and vaccines to military logistics and retail supply chains. Connecting these devices to the internet expands the attack surface.
What remains unclear
The statement did not provide details on the actors behind the attacks, the number of affected devices or the full scope. The European Commission had previously launched a review following supermarket freezer attacks.
