Following recent hacker attacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems, the SPD is warning about a potential rise in food prices. According to SPD parliamentary group vice chair Esra Limbacher, the cyberattacks serve as a profound wake-up call. She emphasized that the consumers at the grocery checkout should not end up footing the bill for the losses incurred.
Limbacher noted that if cyberattacks result in the destruction of food valued at hundreds of thousands of euros, this constitutes a massive economic damage. However, she insisted that this cost must not be passed on to consumers. Therefore, supermarket chains must immediately improve the security of their systems against such attacks. Ensuring a reliable food supply is a necessity that the public should be able to trust.
The background for this warning involves cyberattacks on cooling systems in both European and German supermarkets. In these incidents, refrigeration units were deliberately switched to heat mode, leading to the mandatory disposal of perishable food. Markets in various German states, including Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony, were among those affected.
