When the Temperature Says Everything is Fine…But It Isn’t

For cold-chain operators, cybersecurity may traditionally have been associated with emails, data breaches and ransomware. New research into commercial refrigeration systems demonstrates why that thinking needs to change.

Cybersecurity researchers at Claroty have identified vulnerabilities in two widely deployed refrigeration supervisory controller platforms, the Danfoss AK-SM 800A and Copeland XWEB Pro, systems used to monitor and manage refrigeration equipment in environments including cold-storage facilities, warehouses and supermarkets. Both manufacturers have subsequently released firmware addressing the identified vulnerabilities.

What makes the findings particularly relevant to the cold chain is what researchers demonstrated could happen after a system was compromised.

In a live test environment, researchers were able to manipulate the refrigeration equipment while making the displayed temperature continue to appear normal. They demonstrated that cooling components could be disabled as the refrigerator gradually warmed, while the temperature displayed to an operator gave no indication that the cooling system had been interfered with.

That changes the cybersecurity conversation considerably.

For a cold-storage operator, a cyberattack no longer necessarily means someone stealing company information or locking employees out of a computer system. It could potentially mean interfering with the physical equipment responsible for protecting millions of dollars of temperature-sensitive product.

The research identified 23 vulnerabilities in the Copeland XWEB Pro platform, 21 classified as high severity, while three vulnerabilities were identified in the Danfoss AK-SM 800A management platform. The manufacturers have responded with firmware updates: Copeland version 1.13 for affected XWEB Pro devices and Danfoss R4.3.1 for affected AK-SM 800A controllers.

The issue also highlights a broader challenge as cold-chain facilities become increasingly automated and connected. Remote monitoring, sophisticated refrigeration controls, automation and data provide enormous operational benefits, but every connected system potentially creates another point that needs to be protected.

For warehouse and cold-chain operators, the message isn't to retreat from technology. It is to ensure that operational technology receives the same cybersecurity attention as traditional IT systems.

Operators using connected refrigeration control systems should know what equipment is installed across their facilities, ensure relevant firmware and security updates are current, review whether management interfaces are unnecessarily exposed to the internet, and consider how operational technology is separated from other business networks. These are among the measures recommended following the discovery of the vulnerabilities.

There is an important question here for every cold-chain business:

If someone interfered with your refrigeration system today, would you know because the product temperature changed, or would you simply trust what the screen was telling you?

As Australia's cold chain becomes smarter, more automated and more connected, cybersecurity is becoming much more than an IT issue.

It is becoming a cold-chain integrity issue.