Russia denies involvement in supermarket fridge hacks across Europe, Kremlin calls claims 'absurd'

Russia has denied any involvement in cyberattacks affecting supermarket refrigerators across Europe. A spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, on Thursday called the allegations 'absurd'.

Peskov said accusations of Russian involvement in the attacks are 'unfounded', according to reports in Russian media. He added that these allegations are 'becoming a persistent trend in European countries'.

Supermarket refrigerators have been hacked in multiple European countries over the past few weeks, forcing retailers to throw away thawing fresh and frozen food after temperatures were raised remotely.

The attacks also hit French blood banks, though the country's blood collection service said its supplies were not affected.

While pro-Russian hacker groups claimed the attacks on Wednesday, those groups quickly deleted the claims, according to the BBC. It is notoriously difficult to attribute a cyberattack to a specific actor definitively.

Some cybersecurity experts say Russia is one of the main suspects. Xavier Bellekens, CEO of cybersecurity firm Lupovis, told Politico that clues pointed to 'a Russian state-sponsored threat actor'.

However, a report from cyber defense firm Sekoia noted that 'Iranian-aligned actors have an established record' of targeting supermarkets, for instance in the United States and Israel.

Cybersecurity authorities in the countries affected by the hacks have not yet publicly attributed the attacks to anyone.