Supermarket fridge cyberattack: France blames Iran and seeks EU sanctions

French authorities said Iran was responsible for a cyberattack that disrupted supermarket refrigeration across France. Officials said they summoned the Iranian ambassador and planned to seek European sanctions. Prosecutors in Paris said evidence linked the operation to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The incident was described as sabotage and a risk to national security.

Representative image

The cyberattack happened in the early hours of October 12 and struck food retailers nationwide. About 700 of France’s 10,000 supermarkets were affected, along with independent stores. Attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems and drove temperatures up. Some units reached 50 degrees Celsius for about six hours.

France cyberattack response and European sanctions

France’s Foreign Ministry condemned the cyberattack, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke during G7 talks in Paris. Barrot said the Iranian ambassador was being summoned in protest. "This is an attack of unprecedented scale and aggressiveness,\" Barrot said. \"It is the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil, and it represents a major threat to our national interests and the security of the French people. That is why it will not go unanswered.\"

Barrot said France would press for action at the European level. \"We will impose sanctions at the European level against all those responsible for this attack,\" he added. Barrot also said France would take other steps if needed. The goal, Barrot said, was to respond to the incident and deter further attacks.

Paris prosecutors cyberattack investigation details

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said a formal judicial investigation was opened on Monday. The case focused on suspected organised cybercrime. Prosecutors said the alleged offence was aggravated by serving a foreign power. Beccuau said prosecutors viewed Iran as that foreign power in this investigation.

Investigators named Shahid Kaveh as a key target of the probe. Prosecutors described Shahid Kaveh as the leader of an Iranian cyber unit. They said it was linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The investigation also targeted Shahid Kaveh’s two deputies and others identified later.

Beccuau said investigators found signs pointing to Iran during the inquiry. The attackers used Farsi during the operation, Beccuau said. Investigators also traced IP addresses linked to devices located in Iran. Beccuau said the Paris prosecutor’s office was seeking international arrest warrants.

Supermarket fridges cyberattack impact on stores

Retailers reported major losses after the refrigeration systems failed. Stores threw away fresh and frozen items because temperatures rose too high. The Intermarche supermarket chain said losses reached tens of millions of euros in one day. Authorities said the damage followed the six-hour period of extreme heat.

French officials said the cyberattack marked a serious security incident on French soil. Prosecutors said evidence pointed to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard involvement. The government said the Iranian ambassador was summoned for a protest. France also said it would seek European sanctions, while the judicial investigation continued.

With inputs from PTI