Fried freezers have emerged as the latest worry of Western cyber-defenders. After the mysterious heating-up of supermarket freezers across France earlier this month created havoc, the Pentagon has revealed it is investigating similar refrigerator malfunctions across US military bases that were first reported in August. Cyberattacks that can override something as basic as temperature controls warn of outcomes worse than spoilt food. It should make us wonder whether we really need the ease of having too many gadgets hooked up to the internet. The unprompted closing or opening of curtains on a wifi-enabled remote system may not give you anything more than momentary chills. But do we really need our house heating or car on such a system without their vulnerability checked and safety assurance updated?
