Sylvain Charlebois: Hackers Turned Up the Heat on Europe’s Grocers. Is Canada Ready?
Suspected cyberattacks left European grocers throwing out tonnes of food. Canada’s food industry should take the warning seriously.
TL;DR
- European supermarkets have experienced a second wave of suspected cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems.
- Stores in at least nine countries reported refrigeration failures, with one instance of systems being remotely set to 50 C.
- Significant amounts of food had to be discarded due to the failures.
- A prior wave of attacks had already affected stores in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
- Refrigeration failure is an attractive target for hackers due to the limited shelf life of fresh food and the dependence on steady deliveries.
- Disruptions can lead to discarded inventory, missed shipments, and lost sales.
- Even after repair, products may be discarded if temperature fluctuations cannot be determined.