Is AI enabling cyber attacks on our food supply chain? - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Supermarkets in several European countries have been the target of massive cyber-attacks, affecting fridges and freezers.
There was a similar incident last month that affected hundreds of supermarkets in France.
Millions of dollars worth of food has been thrown away, and the EU says it's a deliberate attempt to disrupt the bloc's food supply chain.
Experts say this could also happen in Australia.
Josephine Asher: Supermarkets across Europe have been hit by another cyber attack, with fridges and freezers suddenly overheating in at least seven countries. It's the third attack in three months and highlights how a digital breach can cause rapid real-world consequences for food supply and the economy. Store manager of the ICO supermarkets in Sweden, Rickard Nilsson, says it was devastating to see fresh goods completely destroyed.
Rickard Nilssen : Some organisation has hacked into the temperature monitoring system of our fridges and freezers. It's insane. I don't see what they stand to gain from it. It's a form of terrorism, really.
Josephine Asher: In October, attackers remotely switched refrigeration systems into defrost mode in hundreds of supermarkets across France. And in August, a spate of freezer malfunctions spoiled food at military bases across the US. These attacks have led to mass food spoiling and the forced disposal of millions of dollars worth of food, with no individuals or groups claiming responsibility for the attacks. So what's led to cyber attacks morphing from websites and data to everyday basic needs? French cyber security expert, Matt Suiche, says AI models have been enabling different types of attackers at a faster rate than defenders can keep up.
Matt Suiche : It sounds pretty dramatic. It sounds like pretty bad, which it is. But in practice, the barrier of entry to carry such attacks is much easier than before, even compared to the beginning of the year, as AI models are becoming smarter and smarter.
Josephine Asher: He also warns that one of the brands targeted in the October attacks is also used in Australia. So could an attack like this happen in Australia? Professor Richard Buckland from the University of New South Wales says everyone around the world is in the same position and that we need to rethink our tech and how we can protect ourselves from malicious attacks.
Richard Buckland : Everything we do now, not just finance and storing data, is connected to computers in some way. It's protecting fridges, lifts, aeroplanes, self-driving cars are a great example. But gee, what if a terrorist or someone was able to control thousands or tens of thousands of cars?
Josephine Asher: Former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre in the UK, Ciaran Martin, says there's a growing number of cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure and supply chains, but he's played down the risk to individuals via Internet of Things devices.
Ciaran Martin : There's a lot to worry about from this French case. There really, really is. There's a lot about our social and economic resilience, our security of food supplies and so forth. What there isn't cause to do on the basis of this case is to panic about normal IoT stuff, watches, fridges, cars, doorbells, door cameras and so forth.
Josephine Asher: So what can we do to prepare for these new forms of cyber attacks? Well, just recently, the UK's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, advised Brits to have three days' worth of food and water handy as part of a Be Ready campaign in the face of potential cyber attacks or disrupted supply chains. It saw some local supermarkets sell out of bottled water and baked beans, and even a run on non-perishables overseas as the campaign made headlines. Jordan McKenzie from the University of Wollongong researches prepping communities and says it's pretty straightforward advice for short-term threats. But when it comes to advice for Australia, he says we're already fairly resilient with the reality of bushfires, floods and a more volatile climate.
Jordan McKenzie: I think in Australia, there's less of a kind of like instant reaching for the gun sort of moment, and it's more about working together, collaboration. And I think a big part of that is because like, the thing we should probably really be worried about is how we're going to live when the temperatures get hotter, when it's harder to grow food, and when supplies become more difficult to access.
Josephine Asher: Australia's Signals Directorate has advised Australian organisations to remain vigilant and follow the centre's guidance on securing their tech.
