Hacking of a different kind turns refrigerators into ovens.. Experts explain a cyber mutation that destroys food

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During the night of October 11 to 12, France witnessed an unprecedented electronic attack targeting the refrigeration control systems inside a large number of stores and major commercial chains, which led to a sudden increase in the temperature of refrigerators and freezers to reach about 50 degrees Celsius.

This attack resulted in the destruction of huge quantities of food and the outbreak of fires in some locations. The French authorities announced the opening of an expanded investigation with the participation of cybersecurity authorities, in an incident that imposed a dangerous shift in the nature of digital threats that moved from computer screens to the physical environment.

The real danger of this development lies in the fact that the hackers did not seek to steal data or encrypt files, but rather turned refrigerators and freezers into burning ovens through direct operational manipulation of the systems.

This strategic shift has prompted specialists in cybersecurity and military strategies to confirm that the world is facing a new generation of attacks that do not only aim to demand financial ransom, but also extend to striking supply chains and disrupting food security, stressing that digital control powers have become a double-edged sword if they are not fortified with strict security controls.

Regarding the details of this strategic shift, Dr. Muhammad Mohsen Ramadan, Head of the Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Studies, revealed in special statements to Al Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net that the incident is not just a passing technical accident, but rather a warning that requires reconsidering the entire concept of cybersecurity.

He explained that the attacker did not need to steal customer data or disrupt payment systems to cause serious damage, but rather targeted a vital operational function of maintaining food temperatures, noting that the danger lies in the transformation of digital control from a tool to serve humans to a means of harming them.

Dr. Ramadan pointed out that modern commercial refrigeration systems are no longer electrical devices that operate independently, but rather are interconnected systems that include electronic control units, sensors and software to manage refrigeration cycles, with the possibility of remote monitoring.

He pointed out that initial reports linked the attack to control systems issued by the Danish company Danfoss, with suspicion of misuse of defrosting functions and raising temperatures remotely, stressing that from a technical standpoint, when the attacker is able to access the control kit or manipulate the defrosting cycles, the temperatures gradually rise to damage the products and cause the equipment to malfunction.

For his part, Major General Khaled Al-Shazly, the former Egyptian Assistant Minister of the Interior, explained in exclusive statements to Al-Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net that the cyber analysis of the incident reveals the importance of protecting “operational technology that monitors physical equipment and operations, unlike traditional information technology systems that focus on data and applications.”

He stressed that many organizations spend huge sums of money to protect servers and e-mail, but they deal leniently with industrial control units or leave maintenance devices connected to the Internet without sufficient isolation, which is a security loophole in strategic thinking before it is a loophole in software.

Major General Al-Shazly added that the risks multiply when using default or weak passwords, neglecting to update firmware, or granting maintenance companies broad powers without strict access restrictions. He stressed the golden rule of security: “Every device connected to a network that has the ability to change physical reality should be treated as a critical security asset, not just a piece of equipment.”

Major General Al-Shazly stressed that this threat redefines the concept of digital damage, as cyber attacks have become capable of disrupting real physical and economic operations that extend to cooling, heating, energy, water, and logistical warehouses.