France has accused Iran of orchestrating cyber-attacks that disrupted refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets across the country, causing millions of euros worth of food to spoil.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the attacks were carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), describing them as “unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression”.
He added that France would “implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible for this attack”.
The cyber-attacks, which occurred last month, targeted the software controlling supermarket refrigerators and freezers, causing temperatures to rise and damaging fresh and frozen food supplies.
Iran has yet to respond to the allegations.
Meanwhile, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Monday that an investigation had been launched into the head of an offensive cyber unit linked to the IRGC and two of his deputies.
She identified the unit as Shahid Kaveh, which she said was affiliated with the IRGC’s electronic and cyber centre.
The first attack occurred on October 11, when hackers gained control of software used to regulate the temperatures of refrigeration units in French supermarkets.
More than 100 stores operated by Coopérative U were affected, alongside 180 Intermarché and Netto outlets.
In some locations, refrigerator temperatures reportedly climbed to 50 degrees Celsius overnight.
Other major retailers, including Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc, were also impacted.
The attacks targeted software supplied by Danish engineering company Danfoss, which enables supermarkets to remotely manage their refrigeration systems.
A second wave of cyber-attacks was recorded last week, affecting more than 100 stores across seven European countries.
Supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were among the hardest hit, while smaller numbers of outlets in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland were also affected.
It remains unclear whether the attacks were connected.
The incidents prompted speculation among cybersecurity experts about the identity of the perpetrators, with Iran emerging as one of the potential suspects.
However, a group of Russian-aligned hacktivists claimed responsibility for the attacks on Wednesday, although their claims were largely dismissed.
The French government has not disclosed the evidence behind its attribution of the attacks to Iran.
Cybersecurity experts note that identifying the perpetrators of cyber-attacks can be difficult because hackers often conceal their locations and identities.
