Warns of 'ongoing cyber threat' to industrial refrigeration systems

The U.S. government has warned of an “ongoing cyber threat” to industrial refrigeration systems, urging organizations relying on cold storage to assume they could be targeted. In a statement issued Thursday, the FBI, CISA and the Departments of Health, Transportation and Agriculture said malicious actors are probing vulnerabilities in internet-accessible electronic temperature and commercial refrigeration controllers used in retail grocery and cold storage facilities. The agencies warned that successful exploitation could change temperatures and create physical risks, including fire hazards, loss of inventory, and reduced system service life. Authorities advised operators to take devices offline from the public internet, isolate them from corporate networks, and apply software updates promptly.