Robin Ben 🏹 🌳TheBreadmonkey@beige.party
Nov 2, 2026, 1:29 PMWhat did I say? You connect appliances to the internet, this is what you get. You should not be able to hack yoghurt.
Shop freezers in six European countries hit by suspected cyber-attack
Replies
Greem.greem@cyberplace.socialNov 2, 2026, 1:33 PM@TheBreadmonkey Network security is hard, chapter 73.
Wulfricwulfric@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 1:35 PM@greem @TheBreadmonkey Freezer Cybersecurity? "It's fine. Who's going to hack a freezer?"
- Greem.greem@cyberplace.socialNov 2, 2026, 1:35 PM
John Abbe (aka Slow)slowenough@mastodon.socialNov 2, 2026, 4:59 PM@greem @wulfric @TheBreadmonkey Well, refrigerators are mentioned at least once in the very first volume of comp.risks in 1985. This instance gets into Amish and Mennonite rules around energy production. https://catless.ncl.ac.uk/risks/1/13#subj4.1
For 'smart' refrigerators, the earliest mention I found (I only sampled) simply linked this article in 2014. https://www.smh.com.au/technology/why-whirlpools-smart-washing-machine-was-a-dumb-idea-20141102-11flym.html
It gets responses in a few of the following issues of comp.risks, search for "lame" at https://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/28/34 and subsequent issues.
Nov 2, 2026, 2:43 PM@wulfric @greem @TheBreadmonkey how many times did I hear this argument from application/system owners when I used to be a cyber-corporat.
- Wulfricwulfric@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 2:44 PM
Too many?
- Nov 2, 2026, 2:52 PM
Phil HaighgulfieNov 2, 2026, 1:36 PM@TheBreadmonkey because this was a new attack, right? Nothing like this happened anytime recently, did it… 🤦🏻🤦♀️🤦♂️
You can lead an IT security to vulnerabilities but you can’t make them patch.
Max Leibmanmaxleibman@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 1:37 PM
Simon Zerafasimonzerafa@infosec.exchangeNov 2, 2026, 1:47 PMI just did. Sorry 🙂🤷♂️
woollypigswoollypigs@sudomakecake.comNov 2, 2026, 1:52 PM@maxleibman @TheBreadmonkey need that on a t-shirt
Katrien M Michielskmmich@mas.toNov 2, 2026, 2:23 PM@maxleibman @TheBreadmonkey I hacked the yoghurt years ago. They've been living on my stovetop ever since. I take them with me when I go camping. Best hack I ever did.
- Katrien M Michielskmmich@mas.toNov 2, 2026, 2:40 PM
@maxleibman @TheBreadmonkey edited to correct the pronoun for thehouse yoghurt.
- Phil HaighgulfieNov 2, 2026, 3:05 PM
@maxleibman @TheBreadmonkey but would you boil a yoghurt?
Alexa Devreux-Swiftalexadeswift@lgbtqia.spaceNov 2, 2026, 5:53 PM
Nov 2, 2026, 5:56 PM@alexadeswift @maxleibman @TheBreadmonkey Well, that's it. I don't know what you have expected inside. Use your imagination 🤭
- Alexa Devreux-Swiftalexadeswift@lgbtqia.spaceNov 2, 2026, 5:59 PM
Nuclear Oatmeal :paranoid:NuclearOatmeal@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 7:00 PMThis is an oatmeal rule. I have to respond to that meme format with this image
Caz Mockettcazmockett@mastodon.socialNov 2, 2026, 1:40 PM@TheBreadmonkey what, AGAIN?! 🙄
webhat🔜#40c3webhat@infosec.exchangeNov 2, 2026, 2:21 PM@cazmockett @TheBreadmonkey still. Same issue, different target who didn't fix stuff the last time it happened
- Caz Mockettcazmockett@mastodon.socialNov 2, 2026, 3:20 PM
@webhat @TheBreadmonkey eejits!! 🙄
Nov 2, 2026, 1:42 PM💯
We (collectively) have known the peril and pain of connecting coolers to the Internet.But I guess it's a lesson that will keep needing to be learned experientially.
Here's a favorite essay by the excellent @jbcrawford
BeeCyclingbeecycling@wandering.shopNov 2, 2026, 1:49 PM@TheBreadmonkey But if the machines are not connected to the internet how can the company lay off the staff who monitor those machines? Don't you know they need to squeeze another teeny tiny bit of profit out of the system?
SlyenceSlyence@mastodo.neoliber.alNov 2, 2026, 4:23 PM@beecycling @TheBreadmonkey telemetry is good actually
this is a pitifully weak security breach but it doesn't invalidate IoT or its benefits
Mat BTwoClownsEating@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 1:59 PMHackult.
blueorangeblueblueorangeblue@c.imNov 2, 2026, 2:07 PM
Nov 2, 2026, 2:53 PM- Robin Ben 🏹 🌳TheBreadmonkey@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 5:41 PM
YES COME ON! 10/10
- Mat BTwoClownsEating@beige.partyNov 2, 2026, 6:53 PM
:bb: x
Thibaultmol 🌈 🔜40C3thibaultmol@en.osm.townNov 2, 2026, 2:01 PM@TheBreadmonkey so all the other supermarkets in europe looked at the 'hack' (out of date software and default credentials) from a couple weeks back and didn't go: "oh shit, we also have internet connected freezers, we should make sure we're secure"... ffs
Andy Gatesandygates@mastodon.socialNov 2, 2026, 6:29 PM@cy @thibaultmol Or less conspiracy-brained, the over-taxed admins were too busy scrambling to fix the PHP nonsense and when everything is a priority, nothing is.
- Andy Gatesandygates@mastodon.socialNov 2, 2026, 7:18 PM
@cy boss phone can connect to the work network for more secure piping.
And don't get me started on php "single updates", lo, technical debt manifests.
Jules she/herafewbugs@social.coopNov 2, 2026, 5:30 PM@thibaultmol @TheBreadmonkey this is convoluted but it gets to the point I promise. When I was a student I worked weekends at a London tourist attraction. When people with a disability came in and requested it, they got a free "carer" ticket in addition to their ticket. All the tickets looked the same up to this point.
We had a big briefing in which we were informed the reason a long standing staff member was fired was that for years he had been running a scam where he was putting regular tickets through as disabled, stashing the carer ticket that came with them, then when people paid in cash pocketing the cash and giving them the carer ticket without anything going through the till.
That's not the stupid bit. The stupid bit is another member of staff was sacked a week later after going to the briefing, thinking "that's a clever idea!" and deciding to try it after hearing about how to do it.
They made the tickets look different after that.
Anneliesakamran@indieweb.socialNov 2, 2026, 5:36 PM- Thibaultmol 🌈 🔜40C3thibaultmol@en.osm.townNov 2, 2026, 5:38 PM
@afewbugs @TheBreadmonkey (sorry, what does that have to do with the topic?)
- Nov 2, 2026, 5:41 PM
@thibaultmol Orgs are sluggish behemoths when required to actually improve.
- Thibaultmol 🌈 🔜40C3thibaultmol@en.osm.townNov 2, 2026, 5:46 PM
@agturcz @afewbugs @TheBreadmonkey oh ok, sorry yeah, I think I get the relevancy now, sorry @afewbugs , legit didn't get the link
Nov 2, 2026, 5:46 PM@thibaultmol
Obviously that the organization did not fix the ‘same tickets’ situation. @afewbugs @TheBreadmonkey- Jules she/herafewbugs@social.coopNov 2, 2026, 5:51 PM
@thibaultmol @TheBreadmonkey once something has been done once people will keep trying it until the thing that made it possible is fixed
Laurence Lawlorlaurencelawlor@mastodon.socialNov 3, 2026, 4:13 AM@afewbugs @thibaultmol @TheBreadmonkey I'm doing my evil laugh after reading this!
Nov 2, 2026, 2:05 PM@TheBreadmonkey Who could possibly have seen this coming?
Simon dē Gulielmō 🐧simonwilliamson@mastodon.worldNov 2, 2026, 2:20 PM@TheBreadmonkey My ice cream will never be digitised!
Richard PennerArpie4Math@mathstodon.xyzNov 2, 2026, 2:34 PM@TheBreadmonkey Same brand as was in the news 3 weeks ago. Username: admin Password: Today’s Date. Someone signed off on this design. Someone else wired them to the public Internet.
NormanDunbarNormanDunbar@mastodon.scotNov 2, 2026, 3:01 PM@Arpie4Math @TheBreadmonkey And someone else will soon be hacked!
- Richard PennerArpie4Math@mathstodon.xyzNov 2, 2026, 3:09 PM
@NormanDunbar @TheBreadmonkey It is the design anti-pattern of security through obscurity. It parallels the “4” incident (* Do not roll your own cryptography unless you have national resources backing you) in that amateurs, convinced of their own cleverness, pushed a security item without vetting by security experts. Fun fact, if your company processes credit cards, the payment processing people contractually impose organizational controls on security.
AdansiXAdansiX@metalhead.clubNov 2, 2026, 3:00 PM@TheBreadmonkey when smth like this happens I ask myself the reasons first.
In this case, I can't really find one.
Sure the chains lost money (or maybe not even that bc of insurance?), but **food** has being thrown away.
Not to mention animals that were killed for nothing.Is it just a showcase of hacking skills / cybersecurity or some anti-capitalism/anti-conglomerate or is there a big picture I'm missing?
Months ago escalators were hacked, which somehow affected me (and I somehow found it funny), but throwing food away is somehow inhumane.
beakermanbeakerman@toot.walesNov 2, 2026, 3:08 PM@TheBreadmonkey AI says thanks
DoomsdaysCWDoomsdaysCW@kolektiva.socialNov 2, 2026, 3:10 PM@TheBreadmonkey Again?!! They need to take them OFFLINE!!!
Nov 2, 2026, 3:19 PM@TheBreadmonkey
We’re hurdling towards “the internet of nothing” where we’re afraid to connect anything to it- Nov 2, 2026, 5:01 PM
@TheBreadmonkey
Further proof of “The Internet of Nothing” TM 
Nov 2, 2026, 3:29 PM@TheBreadmonkey Why can't someone just hack bread machines in a nice way so that when I get home, SURPRISE! There's a fresh loaf waiting for me.
Richard W. Woodley 🇨🇦🌹🚴♂️the5thColumnist@ottawa.placeNov 2, 2026, 3:51 PMYou know one can have computerized control of refrigeration units and freezers in a store without being connected to the Internet.
Ryan Daws 🤓gadgetry@techhub.socialNov 2, 2026, 5:05 PMTrue, and a VPN in front of the same controllers gives contractors their remote access without a public login page. Forescout noted attackers need no malware here, since the system's own functions change temperatures, trigger defrost, and switch off alarms, and those changes can look like routine activity.
Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM@TheBreadmonkey there are probably great reasons for connecting supermarket fridges to the internet though, monitoring hundreds of freezers across dozens of shops to ensure they're confirming to food safety laws for example.
It's not the same as a consumer connecting their fridge to the web so they can play games on the door or whatever smart fridges are supposed to be for
Lynnaxiaomanxx5@mastodon.socialNov 2, 2026, 4:03 PM@TheBreadmonkey It is baffling why hackers would attack a refrigerator.
Stumpy The MuttStumpyTheMutt@social.linux.pizzaNov 4, 2026, 2:14 PM@xiaomanxx5 Because they can?
@TheBreadmonkey
