France Attributes Supermarket Refrigeration Cyberattack to Iran

Summary

France attributed the Oct. 12 attack on refrigeration systems at about 700 supermarkets to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Prosecutors opened an investigation; stores discarded food, and Intermarché reported tens of millions of euros in losses.

Key points

Attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems at about 700 of France’s 10,000 supermarkets and other stores on Oct. 12.
Temperatures reportedly reached 50°C for about six hours, forcing stores to discard fresh and frozen goods.
Intermarché reported losses of tens of millions of euros in a single day.
French prosecutors said their investigation found the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was behind the attack; ANSSI attributed it to the affiliated Shahid Kaveh group.
Investigators cited Farsi use and IP addresses linked to devices in Iran; prosecutors opened a judicial investigation and are seeking international arrest warrants.
France summoned Iran’s ambassador and said it would seek European sanctions against those responsible.

Article Details

Victim Organization: French supermarkets and independent stores, including Intermarché
Victim Domain: Not disclosed
Incident Type: Cyberattack involving remote control of supermarket refrigeration systems, attributed by French authorities to Iranian actors
Affected Records: About 700 supermarkets were affected, out of approximately 10,000 in France.
Affected Data Size: Not disclosed
Operational Impact: Refrigerator temperatures reportedly reached 50°C for about six hours, forcing affected stores to discard fresh and frozen goods. Intermarché reported losses of tens of millions of euros in one day.
Ransom Or Extortion: None reported
Claim Status: confirmed

People

Jean-Noël BarrotFrench Foreign Minister who publicly condemned the attack and said France would seek European sanctions against those responsible.Laure BeccuauParis prosecutor who announced the formal judicial investigation and described its suspected foreign-power connection.

Threat Actors

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)French prosecutors said Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was behind the attack; ANSSI described Shahid Kaveh as an affiliated cyber unit.Shahid KavehANSSI attributed the supermarket refrigeration attack to this group, described as a cyber unit affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.Shahid ShoostariANSSI attributed some other cyberattacks against France since 2020 to this group, which it described as affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The article does not attribute the supermarket attack to Shahid Shoostari.

Countries

FranceFrance on Monday blamed Iran for last month’s cyberattack on supermarket refrigerators, summoned the Iranian ambassador and said it would seek European sanctions against those responsible for the attack.IranFrance on Monday blamed Iran for last month’s cyberattack on supermarket refrigerators, summoned the Iranian ambassador and said it would seek European sanctions against those responsible for the attack.