UK Deploys Cyber Troops Across Europe After Supermarket Freezar Hacks

The UK is deploying military personnel from its Cyber and Electromagnetic Forces overseas to counter cyberattacks targeting refrigeration equipment across European nations.

Commander of the Cyber and Electromagnetic Forces at the Ministry of Defense, Mike Fyers, stated that British forces are working to stop threat actors before they target national systems, as reported by The Telegraph.

The move follows a major cyber intrusion on October 12, when hackers remotely triggered a continuous defrosting cycle at 50°C on cooling systems across hundreds of supermarkets in France, causing massive spoilage of fresh and frozen goods.

Military personnel are being sent directly to host countries that agree to the deployment. These teams can operate on land, boats, ships, or aircraft to target state actors or cybercriminals.

Security officials emphasized that artificial intelligence allows adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities rapidly, reducing reaction windows from days to minutes. The force is also tasked with countering Russian hackers who may be involved in these operations across Europe.

“We are trying to hunt our adversaries in the places where they are preparing, before they attack the UK military systems. I mean physically sending people to places for virtual hunting of the adversary with the goal of protecting our systems,” Mike Fyers said, The Telegraph reported.

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“We see how artificial intelligence uses vulnerabilities with a speed never seen before. If previously we had several days to fix vulnerabilities, now responding to these vulnerabilities takes only a few minutes,” the commander added.

A major cyberattack also targeted refrigeration systems across at least seven European Union countries, including Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Estonia, and the Netherlands. Attackers remotely manipulated settings using compromised remote-control technology, forcing over 100 stores to discard massive amounts of spoiled food.

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