Polish police warn of cyberattacks on shop fridges and cold stores

Poland's Central Cybercrime Bureau (CBZC) is warning about cyberattacks on companies' cooling systems. In a statement, the police said they are seeing increased activity by criminals targeting businesses that use digital infrastructure linked to refrigeration. The food and medical sectors in Poland and other EU countries are affected.

How the attacks work

According to the CBZC, the perpetrators break into cooling systems over the internet. They deliberately switch them off or change the set temperatures. The result is financial losses or interruptions to business.

RMF FM, citing the police, reported that at least 10 attacks on shop refrigeration equipment have been recorded in Poland. Earlier, CERT Polska had spoken of two attacked devices.

What is known about the shops

After reports of similar incidents elsewhere in Europe, footage appeared online from an Auchan store in Olsztyn showing empty, non-working fridges. The chain confirmed to the olsztyn.com.pl portal that irregularities in the control of refrigeration equipment had occurred at three locations: Olsztyn, Częstochowa-Poczesna and Sosnowiec.

Rzeczpospolita wrote about problems at a Selgros store. According to the paper's unofficial information, they were said to involve temperature controllers made by the Danish company Danfoss. Store representatives did not confirm any failure and did not answer the paper's questions.

Żabka said it takes the risk of similar events into account and limits it through network safeguards and ongoing cybersecurity work. Ikea is also monitoring the situation.

Appeal from police and the digital affairs ministry

The CBZC recommends that businesses:

• check whether their network, refrigeration controllers and control panel are reachable directly from a public IP address,
• change infrastructure passwords,
• update software, install security patches and the latest firmware from manufacturers.

Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski pointed out that many organisations have not disconnected their fridges from the network. He threatened to publish the names of companies that ignored warnings suggesting intervention.

Who is behind it

Two pro-Russian groups, Z-Pentest and NoName057(16), have claimed responsibility for the latest attacks on cooling systems. However, it is not certain that they are actually responsible.

Experts expect that other places, such as petrol stations, could also be targeted. Robert Ługowski of Safesqr told money.pl that end users, including owners of small shops, should be aware of the risks of "smart" devices.

What this means for you

The CBZC statement concerns businesses in Poland and other EU countries, and the source does not mention attacks in the UK. For people who own a shop, catering business or family firm with cold storage in Poland, it is a practical tip: check that cooling equipment is not reachable from the internet and change passwords. Customers of Polish shops may, meanwhile, come across temporarily empty fridges.