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A comment on Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspected cyber-attack. Parent comment

Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by xorcist on Monday November 02, 2026 @09:11AM (#50337061)
Many of these smaller stores (and probably some of the larger ones too) rent or lease refrigeration equipment from one of a handful big providers. These are large and expensive systems, and there is costly paperwork involved together with logistics suppliers to show that the cold chain is satisfactory.

These refrigeration providers work with local contractors and HVAC companies to set things up. Their installation techs do what they think is required to remotely operate these systems. If you bring up the question keeping these systems offline or at least on airgapped networks you will most likely get a shrug as reply.

This is not a technology problem. This is problem of responsibility. One can hope things will improve when litigation starts happening, but it doesn't look good considering these people had literally months of notice since the well-publicized attacks on the American fridges, then the French fridges, and now these.

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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by olelele on Monday November 02, 2026 @09:29AM (#50337306)
Litigation is not how we fix things in Sweden, the system is very different from the US. The companies will have to take the losses or try to recoup from insurance and update their systems. They might be able to negotiate deals w the fridge install companies.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by _vertigo on Monday November 02, 2026 @09:34AM (#50337380)
How do things get fixed if not by litigation?
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by kube-system on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:20PM (#50340166)
Some countries have regulatory bodies that are empowered to effectively regulate industry.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by adventured on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:34PM (#50340393)
It's a nice thought. I doubt it's true in reality. If it were true in this specific case for example, the industry wouldn't have the freezer situation to begin with (it implies non-effective regulation is already the context).
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by kube-system on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:42PM (#50340535)
It is simultaneously true that:

1. many countries have higher regulatory burden than the US

2. that does not mean regulatory gaps don't exist

The person above was simply pointing out that litigation is not the only way to solve a problem. Which is plainly true, you can simply require compliance via other legal means. For example, a government could create a regulatory standard for security and require vendors to follow it. Whereas in the US the political appetite is to be more hands-off and allow people make vulnerable products if the market allows.

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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by cortesoft on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:46PM (#50340596)
Isn’t that just litigation brought by the government instead of private citizens?
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by kube-system on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:49PM (#50340659)
No, most of the activity or function of regulatory bodies is not litigation. Litigation would be the last resort.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by cortesoft on Monday November 02, 2026 @01:56PM (#50341764)
Litigation is the last resort in the US system, too. It is the threat of fines/damages that incentivizes a company to do right by its customers/other stakeholders.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by kube-system on Monday November 02, 2026 @03:58PM (#50343636)
I never said it wasn’t. What is different in the US is a political reluctance to enact regulatory controls to protect rights proactively.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by SiempreViernes on Monday November 02, 2026 @09:43AM (#50337501)
Usually national associations get together, discuss issues, and come to some sort of agreement or recommendation that is then followed by most actors.

Litigation does of course occur but it's not the main mechanism.

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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by DANmode on Monday November 02, 2026 @11:57AM (#50339778)
We try this in the US as well, it’s commonly referred to as “hopes and dreams”.

Do you folks coordinate in the way described, and show success with it? (Would most people agree with you?)

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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by DANmode on Monday November 02, 2026 @07:09PM (#50346158)
Is this a stupid question..?
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by SiempreViernes on Tuesday November 03, 2026 @06:47AM (#50350808)
The Swedish national anthem is entirely defined by common consensus, there was a proposal to establish it by law in the 2000's but that was rejected.

Sweden doesn't have a state created e-id system, instead a consortium of banks jointly funded development of a solution in the early 2000 and this is basically the default way you prove your identity online in Sweden.

Fucking Saltsjöbadsavtalet.

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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by mongol on Monday November 02, 2026 @10:31AM (#50338208)
Parent is not correct. Litigation certainly is a thing, but it is less prevalent than in the US. Perhaps the food chain will take the loss, be covered by insurance, and the insurance company will sue.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by fhn on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:08PM (#50339974)
If not buy insurance, the customers will have to pick up the tab. Vendors sell the product/service and are completely responsible for any losses.
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Re:Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by second suspecte... by lotsofpulp on Monday November 02, 2026 @12:15PM (#50340075)
That is the same way it works in the US.
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