The United Kingdom’s meat industry is the latest to fall victim to a new attack, as the country suffered a spate of attacks which previously targeted supermarket freezers throughout Europe.
The NCSC announced that sophisticated hackers had triggered automated cooling systems, resulting in some commercial cold storage and freezers overheating.
Although many of the temperature controls were remotely overridden to make the freezers very hot or to trigger defrosting cycles and security experts state the impact resulted in many of the facilities having to defrost to very high temperatures or not before anything was lost of their food, the government has claimed the impact on the country is negligible as many of the freezers were already empty.
This new attack illustrates the fragility of the operational technology (OT) and physical infrastructure that underpin contemporary supply chains and logistical pathways.
The NCSC noted that “these are critical industrial systems including automated manufacturing equipment, heating systems, refrigeration and other critical industrial control systems” that are becoming more exposed to digital threats as they have suffered from systemic underinvestment in fundamentals like cyber security and have legacy equipment in their plant.
While the NCSC and other cyber security professionals are continuing to assist the UK operators in containing the attack and bolstering cyber defenses, the incident demonstrates the very real threats of how digital sabotage can directly spill over into physical, mission-critical activities.
The authorities are watching the scenario with care to prevent even more extensive digital hot pursuits.
