France Accuses Iran of Supermarket Cyberattack, Seeks EU Sanctions
Paris prosecutors identified the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as responsible for the October 12 intrusion that spiked refrigerator temperatures in 700 stores.
By Kofi Costa ·
French authorities formally attributed a major cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems to Iran on Monday. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation into the incident, which occurred on October 12. Officials stated that the attack was designed to serve the interests of a foreign power, specifically Iran.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that the investigation targets organized cybercrime. She noted that the intrusion involved the use of Farsi language strings and Internet Protocol addresses linked to devices in Iran. The prosecutor's office is currently seeking international arrest warrants for the individuals involved.
The national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, identified the perpetrators as the Shahid Kaveh group. ANSSI described this unit as a cyber arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The investigation focuses on the leader of the Shahid Kaveh group, two of his deputies, and any other associates identified during the probe.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot spoke at G7 talks in Paris on Monday. He said the Iranian ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry to protest the act. Barrot characterized the intrusion as the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil. He stated that the incident represents a major threat to national interests and the security of the French people.
Barrot declared that France will not let the attack go unanswered. He announced plans to impose sanctions at the European Union level against all parties responsible. The minister vowed to take additional measures to respond to the incident and deter future attacks by Iranian entities.
The October 12 attack affected approximately 700 of the 10,000 supermarkets in France. Attackers remotely controlled refrigeration systems in these stores and independent shops. Temperatures inside the units reached 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit, for about six hours. Stores were forced to discard fresh and frozen goods that spoiled during the temperature spike.
The Intermarché supermarket chain reported losses of tens of millions of euros in a single day due to the incident. The disruption forced retailers to manage significant inventory losses and operational delays. The attack highlighted the vulnerability of critical retail infrastructure to remote cyber intrusions.
A separate cyberattack on several French blood banks occurred last week. In that incident, attackers attempted to raise temperatures to extreme levels but were thwarted before damage occurred to blood products or samples. ANSSI and Paris prosecutors are investigating that event as well.
Similar issues with freezers and fridges struck supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Estonia last week. Those disruptions appear to have been caused by cyberattacks and forced some stores to dispose of ruined food. ANSSI has linked other attacks on France since 2020 to a different IRGC-affiliated group named Shahid Shoostari. Those prior intrusions included attempts to target the newspaper Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
