Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker warns European grocery cyberattacks could strike US

Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker warned that cyber attacks targeting grocery and refrigeration systems in Europe could strike the United States, Fox News reported.

Parker said events occurring in Europe and other places could happen on U.S. soil. According to Parker, the incidents highlight a danger she has discussed with former FBI colleagues involving cyber attacks against critical infrastructure.

She described the danger as asymmetrical warfare where an attacker disrupts daily life without missiles or troops on a battlefield. Parker said targeting a basic necessity can shake the public’s sense of security, with damage extending beyond spoiled food.

Parker said law enforcement does not underestimate the harm a cyber attack against the country or its allies could cause. She said asymmetrical warfare has a strong psychological impact and that Americans will not falter.

European supermarket refrigeration systems experienced disruption on Monday, forcing some retailers to discard food. Temperatures in some systems reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Stores in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg were among the affected businesses, according to Reuters. The identity of those responsible for the European incidents remained unknown, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Suspected hackers increased temperatures in European supermarket freezers, fueling fears that necessities such as food could become weapons of psychological warfare. Parker warned against drawing conclusions about who carried out the European incidents.

In the United States, the Defense Commissary Agency, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Army CID Cyber Field Office are working to determine the cause of refrigeration failures at military commissaries in August.

An Army CID spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that investigators are working with French law enforcement to examine whether failures at U.S. commissaries could be linked to European refrigeration outages. Investigators have not established a cyberattack as the cause of the military commissary malfunctions.

Refrigeration problems affected at least six commissaries in late August. An Aug. 26 Facebook post from Fort Huachuca in Arizona stated that all frozen food had spoiled.

Affected locations also included Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island, Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, Travis Air Force Base and Fort Irwin in California, and F.E. Warren Air Force Base, located in Wyoming. After its malfunction, Fort Irwin restricted commissary sales to dry goods.

Reuters reported that in at least one case, overnight settings on refrigeration units increased rather than the units shutting off.

According to Parker, elected officials and local leaders who keep communities running require training and plans to assist residents when essential services face disruption. Parker said mayors, city council members and city managers should understand potential threats and how they would care for their communities.

Parker stressed the importance of identifying vulnerabilities and preventing attacks before they occur. Parker urged families to maintain basic supplies and create a plan for when a cyber attack disrupts essential services.

Americans should keep food, water and necessary medicine, gather important documents in one place and talk about how family members would stay in touch if the power goes out, Parker urged. Parker also suggested obtaining a battery-operated AM radio.

Parker said she is not telling people to buy everything off the shelves. She urged people to consider practical preparations during their normal routines. Parker, who lives in Florida, said the familiar approach resembles hurricane preparation because Florida residents know hurricanes well.

“Every human being has to eat,” Parker told Fox News Digital. “This is the grocery store.” Bonny Chu of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.