CISA, the FBI, HHS, USDA and the Transportation Department said Nov. 5 that they published a joint fact sheet on ongoing cyber activity against industrial refrigeration and cold-chain monitoring systems¹.

The agencies said those systems are widely used in healthcare and public health, chemical, food and agriculture, and transportation¹.

They said attackers worldwide are targeting unpatched or internet-accessible electronic temperature controllers and commercial refrigeration controllers in retail grocery and cold storage¹.

Successful exploitation could change temperatures and cause fire hazards, inventory loss or shorter system life, the agencies said¹.

Recommended steps include taking control devices off the internet, changing default passwords, applying patches, and retiring unsupported equipment¹.

CISA Acting Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Chris Butera said every organization that depends on those systems should assume it could be a target¹.

FBI Cyber Branch Operations Director Brett Leatherman said the systems protect food, medicine and other temperature-sensitive products and that the FBI wants suspicious activity reported¹.

CBS News later ran a video saying government agencies warn that hackers could soon target refrigeration units in U.S. agriculture and healthcare; the video page did not name the agencies or quote the fact sheet².

The CISA notice did not attribute the activity to a named group or confirm a U.S. compromise in the press release¹.