Andrea Innocenti During the night between November 1 and 2, 2026, a series of cyber attacks pushed the temperature of refrigerated cabinets across much of Europe to 50 degrees Celsius. After the incident that affected France the previous October, attackers also hit supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland, and, surprisingly, Sicily. The same technology used to remotely control large commercial refrigerators is now present in home kitchens, transforming a simple smart refrigerator into a full-fledged computer connected to the home router.
The large-scale attack and its repercussions
When such a device is compromised, the consequences can range from minor annoyances to serious threats to personal security. Among the most common dangers is login theft: the refrigerator is linked to the user's account, and if the same passwords are reused elsewhere, hackers can try them on email or social media.
Furthermore, a compromised appliance becomes a gateway to the rest of the home network, providing access to PCs, tablets, and even banking apps. Knowledge of consumption habits—such as refrigerator opening and closing times—provides clues to residents' daily routines, while remote temperature control can compromise the cold chain , rendering food unfit for consumption.
Eventually, many of these devices end up being recruited into a botnet , using the home connection to send spam or launch further attacks.
How Hackers Take Control of Refrigerators
The compromise mechanism is almost always the same: attackers automatically scan the internet for "visible" devices still protected by their factory credentials. Once they've identified a target, they try the most common combinations or exploit a known vulnerability that the user hasn't patched. Many low-cost models sacrifice security defenses to keep costs down, leaving critical vulnerabilities open. A historic example dates back to late 2013 and early 2014, when more than 100,000 devices—including refrigerators—sent a total of over 750,000 malicious emails without their owners' knowledge. Another landmark case dates back to 2015: researchers demonstrated that a smart refrigerator, connected to Google Calendar without verifying the security certificates, revealed the Gmail password.
The most vulnerable point in homes is generally the Wi-Fi router . A weak password allows anyone nearby to intercept communications between the refrigerator and the manufacturer's cloud storage. Furthermore, the UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) feature, which comes standard on many models, allows the appliance to automatically open a gateway to the internet, without requiring user authorization. The manufacturer's cloud storage account is also a privileged access key: with its password, you can control the refrigerator from anywhere in the world.
Five concrete actions to secure your connected fridge.
1. Change the factory password
The default combinations are public; choose a long, unique phrase for each device, using mixed characters. This simple step removes the first barrier for hackers.
2. Isolate appliances on a guest network
Set up a dedicated Wi-Fi network on your router for IoT devices. This way, even if one of them is compromised, the attacker won't be able to access your PC, smartphone, or tablet.
3. Enable automatic firmware updates
Each new version closes known vulnerabilities. Make sure the "automatic update" option is enabled so your refrigerator receives patches as soon as they're available.
4. Disable remote access if not needed
If you don't use the app to manage your refrigerator from away from home, turn off UPnP on your router and disable remote control features. Keep your attack surfaces to a minimum.
5. Check the manufacturer's support policy
Before purchasing, check how many years the manufacturer guarantees security updates. In Europe, the Cyber Resilience Act , which came into force on September 11, 2026, requires companies to report exploited vulnerabilities within 24 hours, thus providing greater transparency.
To complete your defense, avoid purchasing used refrigerators without first performing a complete reset, avoid automatically accepting terms of use, which often give your data to third parties, and turn off unused devices, such as connected ovens or other unused "smart" appliances. Signs such as a suspiciously slow connection or unexplained temperature changes may indicate a break-in; if so, check the app logs and, if necessary, unplug the refrigerator immediately. Finally, remember that your smartphone is the remote control for your home: protecting it with a PIN or password is just as important as locking the front door.