Cyberattacks on supermarkets: how should Europe respond?
In several European countries, including Sweden, Belgium and Ireland, supermarkets have apparently been targeted by cyberattacks which led to temperatures in refrigerators and freezers being far too high. The perpetrators seem to have gained access to the control systems. There was a series of similar incidents at French supermarkets in October.
AI arms race
The Irish Times reports:
“And for those wanting to sow disquiet, food security and the everyday availability of produce is a tempting target. …The advent of artificial intelligence makes the search for flaws in software systems much quicker. …Of course, those trying to protect systems also have the option of using AI – indeed the necessity to do so in many cases. And so the cybersecurity 'arms race' is moving on quickly and there is an onus on companies and governments to respond. Indeed, experts in the field say that proper planning now not only aims to stop as many attacks as possible but also identifies what the organisation would do if one succeeds.”
Identify vulnerabilities
El Periódico de Catalunya calls for more effective security systems:
“Suddenly, we realise the vulnerability of the highly sophisticated life-supporting system we have built for ourselves. ... We manage to feed billions of people around the world thanks to technology, the importance of which we only realise the day it fails. ... We face the challenge that security nowadays does not depend solely on border controls or police patrols on the streets. We have to patrol cyberspace to identify our vulnerabilities. ... And none of this is about succumbing to some form of conspiracy-theory paranoia. The dangers are real, and the solution is not to return to the Stone Age.”
Stoking fear is the strategy
Corriere della Sera warns of similar attacks on more complex infrastructure:
“This was more a psychological attack than an attack aimed at causing economic damage to businesses, if only because the hackers don't appear to have derived any material benefits from it for the time being, apart from stirring up fear among the public again – or at least they believe they are capable of doing so. This assessment is causing concern among security bosses, who had already taken action back in October after the wave of acts of sabotage against food refrigeration and storage systems in French supermarkets. ... There are fears that this type of attack could be repeated against more complex and important critical infrastructure.”
Ability to react put to the test
Supermarkets in Sweden were also affected by the cyberattack. Aftonbladet uses the example of prices to explain the strategy behind attacks such as those on refrigeration systems:
“At first glance, price tags in supermarkets might not seem to be a key component of Swedish civil defence. Yet even minor disruptions can have major consequences. In a hybrid war, something as simple as not knowing how much food costs can trigger utter chaos. An attack like this can divert attention from other – more serious – incidents. Exposing the lack of preparedness among Swedish businesses and authorities can be an effective propaganda tactic for a hostile actor. ... Defence also involves knowing how much a packet of crisps costs at Coop. No foreign power should be allowed to interfere in this.”