Cybersecurity experts believe that the cyberattack on French supermarkets on the night of the 12th of September—which resulted in the destruction of a large quantity of food—serves as a warning sign for Estonia, reports ERR News.During the cyberattack, the perpetrators gained access to temperature control systems and raised the temperature in refrigerators and freezers to 50 degrees Celsius. As a result, a large amount of food was spoiled, causing significant financial losses. Estonia, too, must be prepared for such threats.Toomas Lepik, a cybersecurity analyst at Tallinn University of Technology, stated that such incidents are possible and that the threat is very real. Fortunately, Estonia has not yet encountered problems of the kind seen in France; however, this does not mean that such an event could not occur due to a mistake or lax adherence to cybersecurity protocols.Estonian Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta, who is currently attending a cybersecurity conference in Singapore, described the incident in France as shocking. She pointed out that society must adapt to a new reality: cyberattacks no longer affect only computers and information systems. At the same time, the Minister emphasized that Estonia adheres to some of the strictest cybersecurity regulations in the world. She noted that companies providing essential services—including those involved in food security—are subject to stringent cybersecurity requirements, which must be met. Businesses must ensure that software is updated in a timely manner, systems are properly connected, and access is restricted so that unauthorized individuals cannot gain entry. Regarding entities such as grocery stores, the Minister stated that regular audits are conducted at major companies responsible for food security.However, these requirements do not apply to all grocery stores. Pakosta added that both the government and businesses need to invest more in cybersecurity to ensure the security of their systems. She explained that while Estonia faces financially motivated cyberattacks on one hand, there are also attacks specifically targeting the state and society as a whole. As a digital nation, Estonia must pay greater attention to this issue. The Estonian supermarket chain Selver is closely monitoring events in France to prevent similar situations in its own stores. It is currently unknown who orchestrated the cyberattack on the French stores or whether a ransom will be demanded. Selver’s Communications Manager, Mariann Järvela, confirmed that the chain has not faced such attacks. She emphasized that the supermarket chain is doing everything possible to prevent such an occurrence, noting that every company and retail chain has its own strict protocols and systems in place to manage these matters. Järvela stated that, overall, Selver is well-protected against such threats.Järvela added that the consequences of the incident in France do not differ significantly from those caused by a power outage—scenarios for which the supermarket chain already conducts training exercises.
Cyberattack on French supermarkets serves as a warning sign for Estonia
