Cyber Warfare: Paris Blames Iran for Freezer Hack
French prosecutors formally opened a judicial investigation into the October 12 incident, citing evidence linking the attack to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
By Anthony Foster ·
French authorities formally identified Iran as the architect of the massive cyberattack that disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems across the country last month. Paris prosecutors announced on Monday that a judicial investigation has been opened to examine the incident, which they described as organized cybercrime committed to serve the interests of a foreign power.
The attack occurred in the early hours of October 12. Attackers remotely seized control of cooling equipment in roughly 700 of France’s 10,000 supermarkets. Temperatures inside the refrigerators climbed to 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit, for approximately six hours. The heat forced retailers to discard fresh and frozen inventory. The Intermarché chain reported financial losses of tens of millions of euros in a single day.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that investigators traced the intrusion to Farsi language usage and IP addresses linked to devices in Iran. The probe specifically targets Shahid Kaveh, identified as the leader of a cyber unit within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with his two deputies. Beccuau confirmed that the office is seeking international arrest warrants for those identified in the case.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot addressed the matter during G7 talks in Paris. He summoned the Iranian ambassador to register a strong protest against what he called an act of extreme seriousness. Barrot characterized the event as the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil. He declared that the attack would not go unanswered and that France would pursue European sanctions against all responsible parties.
The French Foreign Ministry condemned the operation in its strongest terms. Barrot vowed to take any other measures necessary to respond to the incident and to deter future operations. The government framed the event as a major threat to national interests and the security of the French public.
This investigation follows a similar attempt last week targeting several blood banks in France. That attack sought to raise temperatures to critical levels but was thwarted before damage occurred. The national cybersecurity agency and Paris prosecutors are currently examining that separate incident.
The disruption was not limited to France. Supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Estonia reported issues with freezers and fridges last week. Those problems appeared to stem from cyberattacks and forced some locations to dispose of spoiled food.
