EU Chief Warns of Cyber Attack Risks to Household Appliances

The cyber chief of the European Union (EU) has warned that following recent cyber attacks on supermarket refrigerators, household appliances may now also be at risk. During the disclosure of the Athens-based agency's biennial report in Brussels, he appealed to Europe to invest more to face increasing cyber risks.

Juhan Lepasaare, Executive Director of ENISA, told AFP in an interview, "Security should not be and cannot be an afterthought." He further added, "Today there have been attacks on refrigerators, tomorrow it could be routers, and the day after that, household appliances and other items." He advised manufacturers to create products that are 'secure by design', meaning secure from the very beginning.

According to a report by the Straits Times, during October and November, supermarkets in at least 12 European countries fell victim to cyber attacks, with France being the most affected. On October 11 and 12, hundreds of supermarkets in France were attacked, causing the temperature of their refrigerators and freezers to rise. This incident led to a large quantity of perishable food having to be thrown away.

In a Swedish supermarket on November 2, employees had to remove and discard food from freezers because hackers had increased the freezer temperature to 50 degrees Celsius. Lepasaare stated that cyber security is extremely important because every service citizens rely on has a layer of digital element or code, and if not protected, it can be hacked.

Describing the worst-case scenario, he said that without security, the services people depend on could be lost. This includes basic services such as the arrival of police, the reach of the fire brigade, the functioning of hospitals, and moving from one place to another via transport. Lepasaare clarified that these are services that must operate 24-7 and any disruption would have an immediate impact.

Regarding responsibility for the attacks, France stated on November 9 that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is responsible for these attacks. Lepasaare did not comment directly on France's allegation, but he acknowledged that 'state-aligned actors' (state-sponsored attackers) from Iran and Russia target Europe. He added that significant cooperation is seen between these countries. He mentioned that state-sponsored actors from countries such as China, Iran, and the People's Republic of North Korea are targeting European companies and interests.

Lepasaare stated that cyber security is not cheap and not all incidents can be avoided, but the question is whether we are ready to invest in it. He welcomed the European Union's cyber rules, which will be fully implemented by 2027. Along with this, he expressed satisfaction with plans to double the size and resources of ENISA, although he admitted that this would never be enough, but it is a good first step.

ENISA is the European Union's cyber security agency, headquartered in Athens. This organization works to set cyber security standards in Europe and provide protection against risks.