Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Fridges in French supermarkets hit by cyber attack
Supermarket freezers are usually set at or below -18°C for general frozen
foods and below -20°C for Ice Cream to keep the food safe and fresh for longer.
At night, the temperature of these freezers rises slightly for a short period
for defrosting. Supermarket chains usually manage such temperature controls by
software. Earlier this month, a cyber attack hacked the temperature control
system of several major food retail chains across France and commanded the freezers
to heat up and stay hot. Hundreds of supermarkets were affected, and some freezers
warmed to 50°C. Some supermarket chains disconnected their control systems from
the Internet to prevent further attacks and investigated their security
systems. Those affected stores had to dispose of the warmed frozen foods and
restock their shelves. Food security is now threatened by evil hackers and malware.
Weaponizing energy, food, and medicine is a serious threat to ordinary
citizens. Once AI is used by a malicious hand or goes rogue by itself, how can
we stop it?
Read the article and learn about a recent cyber attack on freezers.
