Malicious Software Disrupts Ukrainian Heating Utilities

A new form of Russia-linked malware disrupted a heating utility in Lviv, Ukraine, during a harsh winter by altering temperature readings, resulting in over 600 buildings losing heat and hot water for 48 hours. The malware aptly named Frosty Goop directly targeted industrial cooling system software and utilized the Modbus protocol to send commands for physical effects, a rare capability in malware. Dragos, an industrial cybersecurity firm, discovered the malware and linked it to an attack in late January, highlighting the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to cyber threats.