Pentagon treats August military base freezer failures as suspected hack
Four officials told Reuters the Pentagon suspects a cyberattack behind freezer malfunctions that spoiled food at US military bases in August. Investigators are in contact with French counterparts over a similar attack on supermarkets.
1 / 3
The story, neutrally told
Right · 2The Pentagon is treating the freezer malfunctions that spoiled food at US military bases in August as a suspected hack, according to four officials familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. The Straits TimesRC “as a suspected hack, according to four officials familiar with the matter.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ New York PostR “as a suspected hack, according to four officials familiar with the matter.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 1One official said military investigators were in touch with their French counterparts about a similar cyberattack on commercial freezers that disrupted supermarkets in France earlier in October. The Straits TimesRC “One of the officials said the military investigators were in touch with their French counterparts” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Reuters could not ascertain how far the investigation had progressed, or whether it had reached conclusions about what happened or who might be responsible. The Straits TimesRC “Reuters was not able to ascertain how far along the Pentagon's investigation was” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1The Pentagon said a unit of Cyber Command was "working in close coordination with interagency and law enforcement partners" and did not elaborate. The US Army Criminal Investigation Division said its Cyber Field Office was involved and was working with French law enforcement to understand "the refrigeration outages in Europe." The Straits TimesRC “working in close coordination with interagency and law enforcement partners.”“the refrigeration outages in Europe.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 2The late August malfunctions affected at least six commissaries, the on-base stores where military personnel buy food, according to a Reuters review of the bases' Facebook posts and website updates. The Straits TimesRC “affected at least six commissaries” Read at The Straits Times ↗ New York PostR “affected at least six commissaries” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 1In at least one case the freezers did not simply stop working; their temperatures were raised overnight, leaving wilted or melted food by morning. The Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Facebook account said on August 26 that its freezer "went into defrost mode where it heated up all the food." The Straits TimesRC “the cooling units' temperatures were cranked up overnight”“went into defrost mode where it heated up all the food.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1A recently created blog, Signal and Silence, first reported the freezer problems and possible sabotage on August 28. Stars and Stripes reported the involvement of military investigators, and Britain's Daily Telegraph reported their contacts with the French. Reuters says the suspected-hack finding is reported for the first time. The Straits TimesRC “first reported on August 28 by a recently created blog called Signal and Silence.”“is being reported here for the first time.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1The French attack overrode temperature controls on commercial cooling units in more than 350 establishments. Temperatures were raised rather than the units merely knocked offline, and some units caught fire. One supermarket owner estimated costs could reach tens of millions of euros. The Straits TimesRC “in more than 350 establishments”“Some French refrigeration units had the temperature turned up so high they caught fire.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Danfoss, the Danish firm whose controllers ran many of the French units, said many were obsolete or on outdated firmware, which could have made a break-in easy. Reuters could not establish whether Danfoss or any other brand of controller was used at the affected US bases, and Danfoss did not respond to messages. The French Embassy in Washington also did not respond. The Straits TimesRC “Reuters could not establish whether Danfoss or any other brand of freezer controller were in use at the affected US bases.”“The French Embassy in Washington did not return a message seeking comment.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1Bill Moore, chief executive of industrial cybersecurity firm Xona Systems, said controllers once designed as isolated interfaces serviced in person are increasingly connected to the internet, which could disrupt the food supply chain. Earlier hacks include 2022 incidents at supermarkets in Russia and Israel, per Danfoss, and a 2024 attack on a meatpacking facility's refrigeration that a Ukrainian woman was accused of joining. The Straits TimesRC “increasingly being connected to the internet, said Bill Moore”“ruining more than 2,000 pounds of meat.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets carry the same Reuters report, led by the Pentagon's suspected-hack stance and the link to the French supermarket attack. Because the text is agency copy, it shows little about the outlets' own framing.
- Emphasis
- Pentagon and Army investigators, the commissary spoilage, and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither adds its own reporting, and both note the investigation's progress and any culprit are unknown.
- Charged language
- “nightmare scenario”“rogue freezer behavior”
- For example
-
“sabotage of cold storage facilities over the internet has long been seen as a nightmare scenario” — The Straits Times
“The spate of rogue freezer behavior and the possibility of cybersabotage” — New York Post
What every side reports
- Four officials told Reuters the Pentagon is treating the August freezer malfunctions as a suspected hack.
- At least six commissaries were affected in late August.
- Reuters could not determine how far the investigation has progressed or who may be responsible.
- The Pentagon said a Cyber Command unit is working with interagency and law enforcement partners.
US Department of Defense organisation
The Pentagon confirmed only that a Cyber Command unit is working with interagency and law enforcement partners and gave no further detail. Its suspected-hack view comes from four unnamed officials.
“working in close coordination with interagency and law enforcement partners.” — The Straits Times
“according to four officials familiar with the matter” — New York Post
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
Right2 articles
-
The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Pentagon treating military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack, officials say
Neutral Reuters wire copy run by the Straits Times; a scoop-style report that stresses the unconfirmed nature of the hack and links it to France.
-
New York PostR · · via Reuters
Pentagon treating military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack: officials
Neutral The same Reuters report run by the New York Post, with a lede on the six affected commissaries.
- 29 Oct 10:06 First The Straits TimesRC Pentagon treating military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack, officials say via Reuters
- 29 Oct 11:18 +1h 12m New York PostR Pentagon treating military base freezer malfunctions as suspected cyberattack: officials via Reuters
- 29 Oct 11:31 +1h 25m The Times of IndiaN Pentagon probes possible cyberattack after freezer failures spoil food at US bases
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…