France has accused Iran of orchestrating a cyberattack that disrupted refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets across the country, resulting in the destruction of fresh and frozen food worth millions of euros.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made the allegation during a news conference, accusing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of being responsible for the incident.
Barrot described the cyberattack as unprecedented in both its scale and level of aggression, warning that France would pursue sanctions against those responsible.
He said the French government would “implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible for this attack.”
The attack, which reportedly occurred on October 11, involved hackers gaining access to software used to control refrigeration systems in supermarkets, allowing them to manipulate the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers.
More than 100 outlets belonging to Coopérative U were reportedly affected, alongside 180 supermarkets operated by Intermarché and its Netto brand.
Reports indicated that temperatures in some affected stores climbed to as high as 50 degrees Celsius overnight, causing significant quantities of stored food to spoil.
The incident has raised concerns over the vulnerability of critical commercial infrastructure to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
Meanwhile, dozens of supermarkets across seven other European countries reportedly experienced similar cyber incidents last week, although authorities have yet to establish whether the attacks were connected.
Iran has not publicly responded to the French government’s allegations.
In a separate development, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Monday that an investigation had been opened into the alleged leader of an Iranian-linked cyber unit and two of his deputies.
Beccuau identified the group as Shahid Kaveh, which she said was affiliated with the electronic and cyber centre of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The investigation is expected to examine the group’s alleged involvement in cyber operations targeting French interests.
