France blames Iran for supermarket fridge hacking
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot accuses Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of cyber-attacks that raised supermarket fridge temperatures across France, spoiling millions of euros worth of food last month.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- France accuses Iran of hacking supermarket refrigeration systems
- Fridge temperatures spiked up to 50 degrees Celsius overnight
- Supermarkets across multiple European nations impacted
The French government has formally accused Iran of orchestrating cyber-attacks that intentionally spiked temperatures in supermarket fridges and freezers across the country last month. The malicious activity resulted in the spoilage of fresh and frozen food supplies estimated to be worth millions of euros.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the operation was executed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Hackers managed to compromise the refrigeration management software, supplied by Danish engineering firm Danfoss, which allows retailers to monitor and adjust their cold units remotely.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
More than 100 stores belonging to Coopérative U were affected, alongside 180 outlets from Intermarché and its Netto brand. Other major grocery giants including Carrefour, Monoprix, and E.Leclerc also fell victim to the breach, with certain locations registering internal fridge temperatures soaring to 50C overnight.
Just last week, a secondary wave of cyber-attacks struck dozens of supermarkets across seven additional European countries. Nations including Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland reported compromised stores, though authorities have yet to confirm if the two waves are connected.
Targeting supply chain infrastructure and remote management software represents a concerning escalation in state-sponsored cyber warfare. By attacking temperature-controlled units, perpetrators bypass traditional data theft objectives to inflict direct economic and material damage on essential retail sectors.
Concurrently, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that a formal investigation has been launched targeting the head of an offensive cyber unit linked to the IRGC and his two deputies. She identified the unit as Shahid Kaveh, which operates under the electronic and cyber division of the Iranian guard corps.
Although a pair of Russia-aligned hacktivists publicly claimed responsibility for the incident, industry experts remain skeptical. The French administration has not disclosed the intelligence methods used to attribute the sophisticated attack to Tehran, as digital intrusions inherently involve extensive geo-masking and evasion techniques.
Source: BBC World
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