Pentagon probes suspected hack behind US military base freezer failures

The Pentagon is treating a series of mysterious freezer malfunctions at US military bases in August as a suspected hack, according to four officials familiar with the matter. The failures spoiled food at commissaries where military personnel buy groceries.

Military investigators are coordinating with French counterparts regarding a similar cyberattack on commercial freezers that disrupted supermarkets in France earlier this month. The US Army Criminal Investigation Division's Cyber Field Office is involved in the probe and is working with French law enforcement to understand refrigeration outages in Europe.

“went into defrost mode where it heated up all the food. Trust us when we say it was spoiled.”

A Reuters review of military base Facebook posts and website updates found that at least six commissaries were affected by the late August malfunctions. In at least one case, cooling unit temperatures were raised overnight rather than the units simply stopping.

The Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Facebook account stated on August 26 that its freezer entered defrost mode and heated up all the food, describing it as spoiled. A blog called Signal and Silence first reported the rogue freezer behavior and possible cybersabotage on August 28.

Reuters could not determine how far the Pentagon's investigation had progressed or whether it reached conclusions about responsibility. The Pentagon said a Cyber Command unit was working in close coordination with interagency and law enforcement partners but did not elaborate.

The French Embassy in Washington said it would have no comment. The news that investigators are treating the incident as a suspected hack is being reported for the first time by these outlets.