India’s refrigeration and cold-storage infrastructure could face growing cybersecurity risks as the sector adopts more connected technologies, with experts warning that safeguards for operational technology systems remain at an early stage.
The concerns have emerged following cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across several European countries. Stores in Sweden, Belgium, Estonia, the Netherlands, Finland and Luxembourg reported disruptions after attackers reportedly manipulated refrigeration controls.
The incidents involved changes to freezer settings, including switching equipment into defrost mode and raising temperatures. The disruptions forced some supermarkets to discard food stocks. Similar attacks had also affected hundreds of supermarkets in France during October.
The incidents have drawn attention to the security of operational technology (OT), which controls physical equipment and industrial processes. In refrigeration and cold-storage facilities, these systems help manage temperature settings and the operation of cooling equipment.
As India’s cooling infrastructure becomes increasingly digitised, the connection between physical equipment and digital control systems creates additional areas that may require cybersecurity protection. A disruption to these systems could affect the operation of refrigeration facilities and the storage of temperature-sensitive products.
Experts told The Economic Times that cybersecurity safeguards for OT systems controlling India’s refrigeration and cold-storage infrastructure remain at an early stage. This raises concerns about the sector’s preparedness as it becomes more dependent on connected technologies.
The European incidents have highlighted how cyberattacks targeting industrial control systems can extend beyond data theft or disruption of digital services. Manipulating equipment settings can also affect physical operations and lead to losses.
For India, the developments underline the importance of strengthening cybersecurity protections around the systems that manage refrigeration and cold-storage operations as digital adoption increases.
