# Supermarket freezers hacked: how safe is your smart home?

> A cyber-attack on European supermarket fridges exposes how vulnerable internet-connected devices really are, from home appliances to power plants.
- Title: Supermarket freezers hacked: how safe is your smart home?
- Summary: A cyber-attack on European supermarket fridges exposes how vulnerable internet-connected devices really are, from home appliances to power plants. Hackers…
- Keywords: cyber-attack, supermarkets, smart devices, internet security, europe, refrigeration, ransomware, cyber resilience, news, world, Supermarket, freezers
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckpqg8lve73go
- Published: 2026-11-02T18:25:01.561+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cyber-attack, supermarkets, smart devices, internet security, europe, refrigeration, ransomware, cyber resilience, news, world
## Freezers across Europe targeted
Supermarkets in seven European countries have been hit by a suspected cyber-attack affecting their fridges and freezers, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in internet-connected hardware.
## Any connected device can be exploited
Smart devices including fridges, central heating and washing machines can be remotely controlled when connected to the internet, but any device online can potentially be exploited by malicious actors.
## Past vulnerabilities in smart devices
In two thousand fifteen, researchers demonstrated how a vulnerability in a Samsung smart fridge could allow them to intercept internet traffic. But there is no evidence domestic appliances are being targeted in the current attacks.
## Manufacturers must do better
Ciaran Martin, former chief executive of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, says manufacturers need to demand safer devices. He advised consumers to keep devices updated and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible.

> There's a lot more that we need to demand of big tech to give us safer devices and products in the first place.
## Hundreds of UK retail systems exposed
Researchers from UK Cyber Defence identified more than eight hundred refrigeration and building-control interfaces associated with British retailers that can be accessed over the public internet, potentially exposing them to attackers exploiting weak passwords.
## Ransomware hit UK supermarkets in May
When M&S and the Co-op were targeted by ransomware hackers in May two thousand twenty-five, the retailers struggled to stock shop shelves with fresh deliveries.
## Attackers can weaponise normal functions
Tom Hegel, researcher at SentinelOne, says retailers must clarify who owns equipment security. Once attackers control systems, legitimate functions like defrosting become tools for disruption that can destroy physical stock, not just interrupt computers.

> Once an attacker can operate those controls, legitimate functions such as defrosting become tools for disruption.
## Key takeaway

Hackers hit supermarket freezers across Europe, raising concerns about security in internet-connected devices from fridges to power infrastructure.