FBI Warns Hackers Could Remotely Shut Down Supermarket Freezers and Hospital Cold Storage

Cyberattacks are no longer limited to stealing personal information or locking people out of their bank accounts. Hackers targeting internet-connected refrigeration systems could remotely change temperatures inside supermarket freezers, hospital storage facilities, and warehouses, potentially spoiling food, damaging equipment, and putting lives at risk.

The FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and three other US government departments have issued a joint warning about malicious cyber activity targeting industrial refrigeration and cold-chain monitoring systems worldwide. The agencies said attackers are exploiting weaknesses in electronic temperature controllers and commercial refrigeration equipment to interfere with systems responsible for keeping food and medical supplies at low temperatures.

For ordinary Americans, the implications reach far beyond a supermarket's frozen-food aisle. Refrigeration systems help preserve everything from meat, dairy products, and frozen meals to medicines and other temperature-sensitive healthcare supplies.

Hackers Could Turn Cooling Systems Into Heating Systems

According to the November 5th advisory, malicious actors are targeting refrigeration controllers in retail grocery stores and cold-storage facilities. These devices allow businesses to monitor temperatures remotely, manage defrost cycles, and control refrigeration equipment.

Attackers who compromise the systems could change temperature settings and force refrigeration units into continuous heating or defrost cycles. That means a supermarket freezer that should be keeping food frozen could instead begin warming up, potentially destroying thousands of dollars' worth of inventory before employees realise something is wrong.

The agencies warn that manipulating temperature controls could shorten equipment lifespans, create fire hazards, and expose consumers to products that have been stored at unsafe temperatures.

Hackers could also interfere with temperature monitoring itself, creating what officials describe as a loss-of-visibility problem. Even if refrigeration equipment appears to be operating normally, staff could lose the ability to see its actual temperature. The agencies identified several possible ways attackers could gain access, including authentication bypasses, arbitrary code injection, and weak security configurations.

Hospitals and Medicine Supplies Face Bigger Risks

The warning is particularly concerning because industrial refrigeration is not limited to supermarkets. Healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical suppliers, refrigerated transport operators, and other critical infrastructure providers depend on cold-chain systems to maintain safe storage conditions.

A disruption could therefore affect temperature-sensitive medical products and supplies, potentially creating complications for hospitals and healthcare providers that rely on uninterrupted refrigeration.

The warning follows a reported cyberattack targeting refrigeration equipment at three French national blood service facilities earlier in November. The Établissement français du sang (EFS), France's national blood service, said the attack affected a supplier of refrigeration equipment serving three of its sites. The French weekly Le Canard Enchaîné identified the contractor as Coolworld.

Attackers attempted to manipulate temperature and defrost settings, but monitoring alarms alerted staff, who responded in time.

FBI Says Businesses Must Assume They Are Targets

The FBI and other agencies warned that organisations relying on refrigeration and monitoring systems should assume they could become targets. CISA's recommended response includes removing refrigeration controllers from the public internet wherever possible and securing remote access behind firewalls.

Businesses are also being urged to replace default passwords, install available security updates, separate refrigeration equipment from ordinary corporate networks, and introduce stronger authentication, including multifactor authentication where feasible.

Operators are also recommended to establish safe temperature limits and ensure alerts reach employees who can respond quickly when readings move outside acceptable ranges.