France accuses Iran of cyberattack on supermarket fridges

Summarised from 7 outlets · Updated 9 Nov, 16:58 · Archive

France has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of carrying out cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration units last month.

France has accused Iran of orchestrating cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration units in October, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirming the responsibility of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Barrot described the attack as 'unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression' and announced that France would 'implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible'.

According to Politico Europe, approximately 700 food distribution sites in France were impacted. The BBC reports that supermarkets including more than 100 stores from Coopérative U, 180 from Intermarché, and Intermarché's Netto brand were affected. On 11 October, hackers gained control of the software regulating temperatures in the refrigeration units, raising them to 50C overnight in some stores, which spoilt fresh and frozen produce estimated to be worth millions of euros.

The Daily Mail reports that some refrigerators had the temperature turned up so high they caught fire. In the hours following the hack, supermarket employees carted boxes full of perished meat and melted ice cream into giant trash containers. Cybersecurity experts previously noted that several units were obsolete or running outdated firmware, which may have made them vulnerable to attack.

Investigative evidence pointed to Iran as the culprit. The Paris prosecutor's office said the cyberattack showed a methodology characteristic of the 'Shahid Kaveh Group', an elite offensive cyber unit believed to work in service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. An investigation revealed the use of Farsi language and IP addresses pointing to devices located in Iran.

The Paris prosecutor's office has requested international arrest warrants against the leader of Shahid Kaveh and his two deputies. Barrot said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry. Iran has not yet responded to the allegations.

The BBC reports that supermarkets across seven other European countries were also targeted by similar cyberattacks last week, and grocery stores and French blood banks have been targeted in recent days. However, it is not known if these later incidents are linked to the October attack. Cyber experts had previously raised concerns that the attacks might have been part of Russia's ongoing hybrid warfare against Europe, though the Kremlin has denied involvement.

How it is being reported

• France blames Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for cyber-attacks on supermarket fridgesFrench foreign minister vows European sanctions against Tehran over ‘unprecedented’ hacks last month Europe live – latest updates France has said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were behind “unprecedented” cyber-attacks on supermarket fridges in the country last month, vowing European sanctions against Tehran. “I can confirm that this attack was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said on Monday of the hacks on 11 and 12 October. Continue reading...The Guardian · 9 Nov, 16:53
• France accuses Iran of supermarket fridge hackingThe cyber-attack last month saw fridges and freezers in hundreds of supermarkets across France heated up.BBC News · 9 Nov, 16:51
• 🔴 Iran's Revolutionary Guards behind cyberattacks on supermarket fridges, says French FMFrance 24 · 9 Nov, 16:44
• French officials blame Iran for supermarket fridge hackingThe recent cyberattack on supermarkets in France was organized by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said, describing the hacking as "unprecedented."DW News · 9 Nov, 16:42
• France blames Iran for cyberattacks targeting supermarket fridgesThe French government says 700 food distribution sites were impacted.Politico Europe · 9 Nov, 16:35
• France accuses Iran of cyberattack on European fridgesThis is a breaking news story.Al Jazeera · 9 Nov, 16:33
• Iran was behind European fridge freezer hacking attack, French authorities sayIran was behind the hacking attack on European fridges and freezers, according to the French authorities.Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 16:25

In this story: Iran · France · Jean-Noël Barrot · Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps · Shahid Kaveh Group · Coopérative U · Intermarché · European Union

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log