Commercial refrigeration: Greece’s cybersecurity authority advises businesses on protecting controllers
The authority advises keeping older controllers off the public internet. On 5 November it said it had no officially recorded incident linked to the reported faults.
Greece’s National Cybersecurity Authority restated its advice on commercial refrigeration controllers on 5 November after reports of faults at food shops, mainly butcher shops. These devices let businesses and maintenance providers monitor refrigeration systems and change their settings remotely.
What has been confirmed
The authority said maintenance technicians reported finding unauthorised changes to settings and attributed them to a cyberattack. At the time of its statement, the authority said it had no officially recorded incident linked to those reports. The more than 300 systems it identified in Greece in its 14 October warning were exposed to the internet. The figure measures exposure and does not establish how many systems were compromised.
Practical steps for businesses
The authority advises removing public internet access to older or unpatched controllers. If remote access is needed, it should be allowed only through a secure private connection (VPN). It also recommends changing passwords, using multifactor authentication, applying security updates and planning to replace older equipment. Businesses should know which service providers have access and train staff to recognise unusual system behaviour.
English translation of the Greek edition · Read in Greek