CISA, the FBI, and the US departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Transportation warned on November 5, 2026, that attackers worldwide are going after the temperature and refrigeration controls that keep grocery stores and cold storage sites cold. The warning covers the healthcare, chemical, food and agriculture, and transportation sectors.
Attackers can reach unpatched or internet-facing controllers through authentication bypass, code injection, or weak settings, then force continuous heating and defrost cycles, hide temperature readings, and create fire hazards. The warning follows supermarket attacks in France on October 11–12 and across seven EU countries on November 2. In the Netherlands, supplier Danfoss found some targeted systems still on default passwords.
The agencies want controllers off the public internet, separated from business networks, and protected with new passwords and phishing-resistant MFA. They also urge firmware updates, retiring unsupported devices, and alerts for any temperature drift. The EU’s cybersecurity agency, ENISA, and the European Commission have issued their own call to cut exposure.
Source: Industrial Cyber
