Cold Chain Cybersecurity: Protecting Industrial Refrigeration
Cold storage systems do important work quietly: keep temperatures in range, record readings and manage equipment cycles. That quiet routine depends on connected controllers and monitoring tools being available only to the right people.
A November 5 fact sheet from CISA, the FBI, HHS, USDA and the Department of Transportation says malicious cyber actors are targeting industrial refrigeration and cold-chain monitoring systems globally. It describes risks involving electronic temperature and commercial refrigeration controllers, including the possibility that attackers could change settings or disrupt visibility into temperatures.
The guidance is relevant to organizations that operate these systems, including many organizations in healthcare, chemical, food and agriculture, and transportation. It does not say that every business in Nebraska or Tampa Bay—or every Soarin Group client—is affected. A company’s equipment, configuration and internet exposure have to be checked individually.
Five access and maintenance checks
The agencies urge owners and operators to reduce exposure and make access deliberate. If your organization runs these systems, work with the people responsible for operations, facilities and IT to review the following:
- Use strong authentication. Change default passwords, use strong passwords and policies, and implement phishing-resistant multifactor authentication wherever feasible.
- Apply timely updates. Keep device firmware up to date and maintain a process for identifying, retiring and replacing devices that are no longer supported by their manufacturers.
- Inventory internet-accessible systems. Identify connected control systems that can be reached from the internet, especially controller panels. The fact sheet urges owners to avoid exposing control systems to the public internet.
- Remove unnecessary remote access. Disable remote connections and public exposure that are not needed. Keep a clear record of which systems have remote access and who is responsible for it.
- Secure any necessary remote access. The agencies recommend protecting necessary access with a firewall or edge device and keeping that device updated. Restrict changes to authorized devices and IP addresses.
These are checks to plan with qualified support. A controller may be tied to physical operations, so changes should be coordinated with the people responsible for safe operation.
Keep the supporting safeguards in view
The fact sheet also recommends separating operational technology from business networks with a dedicated OT VLAN, maintaining current offsite and offline backups and testing them, and enabling logs so teams can review unexpected activity. Where equipment does not provide usable logs, it recommends collecting network traffic between OT assets.
Owners and operators should also set reasonable temperature limits for equipment downstream of controllers and configure alerts for deviations. Those operating limits belong with people who understand the stored products and equipment.
A focused review for the systems you operate
The useful first step is a clear inventory: which refrigeration and monitoring systems are connected, which can be reached remotely, and who owns each access path and update? Then remove unneeded exposure and agree on how necessary access, updates, backups and alerts are maintained.
This summary is general information, not a finding about a particular organization or a substitute for system-specific advice. Review the agencies’ full November 5 fact sheet with the qualified IT and operational technology support responsible for your equipment.
