German intelligence investigates cyberattacks on refrigeration systems — Der Spiegel

In Germany, intelligence services have joined the investigation into cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries. As Der Spiegel reports, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution stated that the incidents are the subject of ongoing intelligence investigations.

A joint center has been involved in the case

The GAZ Hybrid Joint Center for Countering Hybrid Threats is also dealing with the cyberattacks. It includes cooperation between, among others, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, and the Military Counterintelligence Service.

Sweden, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal reported attacks on freezer and refrigeration units in supermarkets. Disruptions were also recorded in individual grocery stores in Germany. Three weeks earlier, refrigeration units at French supermarkets were hit by a large-scale cyberattack.

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Known vulnerabilities in control systems

According to Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the available information indicates that known vulnerabilities in the attacked control systems were exploited. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior called manipulation of control systems aimed at destroying goods a serious incident.

German authorities currently have no data that would allow them to conclusively link the attacks to a specific perpetrator or state structure. At the same time, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported a growing threat of cyberattacks that may be coordinated by states and noted a high risk of actions by Russian state actors — the aggressor state — in response to EU sanctions and Germany’s support for Ukraine.