Cyberattack on supermarket refrigerators: "The connection of objects forces us to think about a permanent maintenance duty"

On October 11-12, hackers remotely accessed refrigeration systems in numerous supermarkets, causing significant food waste. The Danish manufacturer Danfoss noted that many affected devices were outdated and lacked security updates. This incident highlights the neglect of maintenance in connected devices, raising concerns about food shortages. The evolution of connected objects has focused on power—commercial, dissenting, and state—without addressing the responsibility of maintaining these connections. The current situation reveals a gap in expectations for state intervention in cybersecurity, emphasizing the need for a new societal approach to connectivity and its associated vulnerabilities.