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FBI warns of hacker attacks on cold chain systems
Federal alert says hackers seek remote access to refrigeration controls to spoil inventory
(Jackie Niam/Getty Images)
Key Takeaways:
- Five federal agencies issued a Nov. 5 alert warning refrigerated transport operators about cyberattacks targeting cold-chain monitoring and refrigeration controllers.
- Hackers can alter temperature and defrost settings, potentially spoiling food, creating fire hazards and obscuring current temperature readings, officials said.
- Operators were urged to limit internet exposure, isolate operational technology, strengthen authentication, patch firmware and restrict access to authorized devices.
The FBI, Transportation Department and three federal agencies issued an alert to owners and operators of cold-chain monitoring systems about possible cyberattacks targeting refrigerated transport services.
A Nov. 5 warning noted federal agency officials “are aware of malicious cyber actors targeting electronic temperature and commercial refrigeration controllers in retail grocery and cold storage facilities.”
Hackers are seeking to exploit cybersecurity weaknesses to gain access to electronic temperature and commercial refrigeration controllers at retail grocery and cold storage facilities to change settings that force units into continuous heating and defrosting cycles.
These remote attacks are intended to spoil inventory and create fire hazards for equipment set to continuously operate, the alert stated. In addition, consumers can be indirectly harmed if the spoiled food is eaten after unsafe storage.
If hackers can gain such remote access, they could make changes that result in a “loss of visibility into current temperatures (a denial-of-view condition),” the alert stated.
Refrigeration systems targeted
The announcement urged owners and operators to harden industrial refrigeration and cold-chain monitoring systems. Other agencies that joined in issuing the notice were the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as well as the departments of Health and Human Services, and Agriculture.
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The agencies noted that the systems being targeted by cybercriminals include refrigerated transport services that have:
Automated and remote temperature monitoring
Continuous temperature logging
Defrost cycle management
Energy optimization
“Industrial refrigeration and cold-chain monitoring systems protect food, medicine and other temperature-sensitive products, making them attractive targets for malicious cyber actors,” noted the FBI. The agency noted it “is seeing these systems targeted across critical infrastructure sectors globally.”
RELATED: U.S. agencies issue guide to thwart cyberthreats from China
Trucks transported $877. 5 billion worth of pharmaceuticals in the United States in 2024, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
U.S. government on cold chain attacks
Steps to reduce cyber risk
Hackers are seeking to exploit cybersecurity weaknesses to gain remote access to electronic temperature controllers and commercial refrigeration controllers at retail grocery and cold storage facilities and change their settings.
The notice recommends owners/operators:
Limit the controllers’ exposure to the public internet
Isolate operational technology from business networks
Replace default passwords
Use multifactor authentication
Keep firmware patched
Replace unsupported devices
Restrict access to authorized devices and IP addresses
Owners/operators are advised to focus on preventing unauthorized remote access to their operational technology systems.
