THE HAGUE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The refrigeration and freezing systems of at least 17 businesses in the Netherlands were affected in a cyberattack overnight, with their temperature settings being remotely altered, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported on Monday, citing a spokesperson for Danish refrigeration equipment manufacturer Danfoss.
The affected systems were mainly used by butcher shops and small neighborhood stores, the spokesperson said, declining to disclose the names of the businesses involved. No major supermarket chains in the Netherlands were affected, NOS said.
The targeted systems were not connected to secure networks and were still using default passwords, the spokesperson told NOS. Danfoss had previously advised its Dutch customers to disconnect the systems from the internet and reconnect them only through secure networks following similar attacks in France.
Most businesses had followed the advice, but a small number had not, the spokesperson added.
Similar incidents were also reported Monday in several other European countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Sweden, Estonia and Finland, with some retailers forced to discard affected food products.
The Dutch government has warned that cyberattacks pose risks to the food industry, which increasingly relies on digital systems for food production, processing, refrigeration, packaging and logistics.
The incidents followed a major cyberattack in France in October, when hackers gained control of refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets, causing temperatures to rise sharply and resulting in substantial food losses and, in some cases, fires, according to French police.
In response to the latest attacks, the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on Monday urged businesses operating refrigeration systems to contact their equipment suppliers to check the security of their installations. It recommended immediately updating vulnerable systems or taking additional security measures, including preventing direct access to refrigeration systems from the internet, restricting remote access to trusted IP addresses, using strong passwords, and regularly installing security updates. ■