France accuses Iran of cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration units

France has opened a criminal investigation and formally accused Iran of orchestrating cyberattacks on refrigeration units in French supermarkets.

The French foreign minister, Jean‑Noël Barrot, said the probe targets a cyber unit linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He added that the Iranian ambassador was summoned and that sanctions will be pursued at a European level.

Paris prosecutors have applied for international arrest warrants for the leader of Shahid Kaveh – an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC – and his two deputies.

The attacks, which took place on 11 and 12 October, involved hackers gaining internet access to refrigeration systems and remotely raising temperatures to 50 °C during the night. The surge caused fires, melted equipment and spoiled millions of euros worth of food.

Supermarket chains affected include E‑Leclerc, Intermarché, Carrefour, Monoprix and Cooperative U. At least 300 Intermarché stores and its Netto brand were hit, more than 100 Cooperative U outlets, 80 Carrefour supermarkets and about 5 % of Monoprix’s roughly 490 stores.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Caio / Pexels.