As Digital Security Changes the Refrigeration Market

Remote monitoring of refrigeration units is not the problem. On the contrary, it is the solution to prevent these attacks. Thanks to unsecured IP points of access in retail networks, Francesco Mastrapasqua, president of Assocold, which represents companies involved in the refrigeration industry (2 billion euros in revenue and 90,000 employees), must raise his guard against the resilience of the infrastructure at the bottom without going backwards on the adoption of new technologies. What is he thinks is the weakest point that allowed hackers to damage stores? A refrigeration system is made up of more components than just the machine itself. As the electronics that enable its functioning and the network infrastructure of the point of sale. It is here where the hackers infiltrated. Remote monitoring is therefore not a risk but an ally to counter these phenomena, it is the most effective measure to prevent attacks because it allows real-time control of parameters. If you go out of range, for example at 50 degrees, you will immediately notice. What can be done to avoid similar actions in the future? The zero-risk scenario does not exist, but it is possible to mitigate the impact of problems significantly. A general first reasoning concerns cybersecurity investments, which should have a priority, foreseeing protected architectures, secure remote access, and adequate network protection systems in Vpn. What happened did not lead the market to a technological retreat but rather to a constant update of technologies. The most obsolete systems, in which there are families of components that are no longer produced, are the most vulnerable from this point of view and we think it would be useful to foresee incentives to allow the replacement of these plants, in some cases dating back to 15-20 years ago. Said this, comparing what happened in France with 700 stores involved and the situation in Italy, we see a much more resilient national system. In what way do new digital technologies change your sector? In some aspects, such as the types of gases used or the mechanical functioning, innovations are only incremental. However, the digital field is where innovation proceeds at the speed of light. Remote monitoring, which large chains of Gdo often demand in the capital, allows, for example, to anticipate maintenance interventions before breaks. Or even generate efficiency gestures.