Can your refrigerator be hacked?

Being smart can be a weakness, especially for everyday appliances that are part of daily lives. As machines, appliances and devices get more connected, they provide increasing ease of use. 

 

Smart appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, and air conditioners are no longer just standalone household devices. They are increasingly connected to the internet, mobile apps, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to improve convenience, energy efficiency, safety, and food management.

 

A smart refrigerator can monitor internal temperatures, alert users if the door is left open, track inventory through cameras or barcode scanning, and suggest recipes based on available ingredients. Some advanced models from companies such as Samsung and LG can synchronise with grocery shopping apps, create shopping lists, and even automatically reorder frequently used products.

 

However, this connectivity can be weaponised to convert the appliances into devices of destruction. Appliances placed in homes, restaurants, offices, industrial sites and government buildings are no longer harmless tools of convenience. Connected household appliances such as smart refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, televisions, cameras, and thermostats have become increasingly attractive targets for cybercriminals, because they often have internet connectivity, but weaker security controls than traditional computers. Security experts have repeatedly demonstrated that these devices can be compromised and used as entry points into broader home or enterprise networks.

 

An early case occurred in 2014, when researchers discovered a botnet composed of internet-connected devices, including smart refrigerators and televisions, that had been hijacked to send hundreds of thousands of spam emails. The recent hacking of fridges of supermarket chains in France has revived fears of hacked appliances. 

 

French supermarket chains, including Intermarché, E.Leclerc, and Système U lost millions worth of frozen food, after attackers gained access to refrigeration management systems and remotely altered temperature settings. 

 

The attackers targeted refrigeration control technology, changing settings so that refrigeration units continuously defrosted and temperatures reportedly rose as high as 50°C, effectively turning cooling systems into heaters.

 

Many more unnoticed hacks are occurring across millions of connected devices. Industry data indicates that the threat environment is worsening. Research from Bitdefender and NETGEAR found that the average connected household experienced approximately 29 cyberattacks per day in 2025, with attacks increasingly targeting consumer electronics such as smart TVs, streaming devices, cameras, and other connected appliances. The study observed billions of attack attempts across millions of households, highlighting how smart home devices have become routine targets for automated cybercriminal activity. Smart appliances can enable indirect surveillance. A connected refrigerator, thermostat, smart lighting system, or washing machine may reveal occupancy patterns, sleep schedules, vacation periods, or daily routines through usage logs. Even without accessing cameras or microphones, an attacker who obtains this data may be able to determine when people are home, asleep, or away.

 

Connected appliances placed in commercial locations and government offices can be used for spying and gathering data. Connected building controls, refrigeration systems, industrial sensors, and surveillance devices can provide information about operating schedules, facility utilisation, inventory levels, and employee activity. Smart speakers represent another potential hacking concern. While devices such as Amazon Echo, Google Nest, and Apple HomePod are designed to activate only after hearing a wake word, security researchers have demonstrated techniques that can manipulate voice assistants or exploit software vulnerabilities to gather information or trigger actions. More commonly, privacy concerns arise from the amount of voice and behavioral data stored in cloud systems, rather than from direct hacking.

 

Consumers and corporations will have to be as careful about protecting appliances as they are with office equipment, like computers and servers. If a smart appliance is connected to the same router as the enterprise, it offers a vulnerable entry point for hacking the entire system. Hacking a fridge in an inhouse café of a large corporation can be as risky as hacking a laptop or a mobile device. Any connected device, from a wrist watch to a washing machine, deserves enterprise level cyber security protocols.