France Accuses Iran of Cyberattack on Supermarket Refrigeration Systems

In depth

France accuses Iran of a cyberattack on refrigeration systems in supermarkets. According to preliminary findings, an attack carried out in October disrupted temperature control systems in hundreds of supermarkets and other sites across the country, and food in refrigerators was destroyed. Prosecutors in Paris opened an investigation against the hacker group "Shahid Kaveh," an offensive cyber unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and issued international arrest warrants against the group's leader and two of his deputies.

The French Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador for a reprimand, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Iran would bear the consequences. According to the investigation, the attackers used Persian and IP addresses led to devices inside Iran. Temperatures in the affected refrigerators spiked in some cases to 50 degrees, and the damage to food and equipment was estimated at tens of millions of euros.

Experts at Check Point estimated that Iran may have acted on behalf of foreign actors. France announced that its security and intelligence bodies had concluded that Iran stands behind the attack, and the ambassador was summoned again to clarify Paris's position. In other countries in Europe, such as Belgium and Sweden, a similar attack was recorded last month.