Key facts
- ENISA's Juhan Lepassaar said routers and home appliances could follow the fridge attacks.
- Lepassaar called on manufacturers to make products secure by design.
- France held Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for the supermarket cyberattacks, a claim Lepassaar declined to comment on directly.
- Lepassaar said Iranian and Russian state-aligned actors were known to target Europe.
- Lepassaar welcomed EU cyber rules entering into force next year and plans to double ENISA's size and resources.
ENISA executive director Juhan Lepassaar said on November 10, 2026 that home appliances could be the next target after recent cyberattacks on supermarket fridges, and urged Europe to invest more to counter cyber threats. He spoke in Brussels at the unveiling of the Athens-based agency's latest biennial report on the state of EU cybersecurity.
Supermarkets in at least 12 European countries were hit by cyberattacks in October and November, with France the worst affected. Hundreds of French supermarkets were hit on October 11 and 12 by attacks that raised refrigerator and freezer temperatures, forcing many to throw away perishable food. France said on November 9 that it held Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible.
Lepassaar would not comment directly on France's accusation, but said Iranian and Russian state-aligned actors were known to target Europe, pointing to "a lot of collaboration" between them. He also named China and North Korea among state-aligned actors that target European companies and interests.
"Security should not and cannot be an afterthought," Lepassaar said, adding: "Today it was fridges, tomorrow it could be routers, the day after tomorrow it could be home appliances and so forth." He called on manufacturers to make products secure by design and said cybersecurity is not cheap.
Lepassaar welcomed EU cyber rules that will fully enter into force next year and the bloc's plans to double the size of ENISA and its resources. It would "never" be enough, he said, "but it is a first good step."