The executive director of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has warned that household appliances could be hackers’ next target after cyberattacks on supermarket refrigerators in Europe, and called for more cybersecurity spending.
IT Home reported on November 11, 2026, that Juhan Lepassaar gave the warning in a Tuesday interview with Agence France-Presse in Brussels while releasing ENISA’s latest biennial report on the state of EU cybersecurity. The agency is based in Athens.
IT Home noted that in October and November 2026, supermarkets in at least 12 European countries were attacked, with France the hardest hit. On October 11 and 12, hundreds of French supermarkets were affected. Refrigerators and freezers reached abnormally high temperatures, and many stores had to discard all perishable food and absorb financial losses.
Lepassaar said security should not and cannot be an afterthought. He warned that refrigerators are being attacked now, routers could be next, and various household appliances could follow.
He said every security incident can be avoided, but asked whether organizations are willing to pay for that outcome, adding that cybersecurity is not cheap. He urged manufacturers to build in security at the design stage rather than trying to fix products after they go on sale.
He said cybersecurity matters because services people rely on include a digital element that may depend on a piece of code, and unprotected code can be hacked. In the worst case, he said, essential public services could fail: police might not arrive in time, fire services might not respond normally, hospitals might not operate normally, and transport systems might not move people safely. These are services people depend on for everyday life and that run 24 hours a day, he said; when they fail, the effect on society is immediate.
Lepassaar welcomed new EU cybersecurity rules expected to take full effect next year. The EU also plans to double ENISA’s staff and resources. He said that even then it would never be enough, but that it would at least be a good start.