France Accuses Iran of Cyber-Attacks That Heated Supermarket Fridges

France has formally accused Iran of being behind cyber-attacks that raised the temperatures of fridges and freezers in hundreds of supermarkets across the country, spoiling fresh and frozen food in the affected stores.

The accusation was delivered in person by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who told a news conference that the attack had been carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran.

Barrot said the attack was "unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression," and he added that his country would "implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible for this attack."

The intrusion took place on 11 October, when hackers gained control of the software that regulates the temperatures of the refrigeration units used in many of the country's supermarkets. The cyber-attack last month saw fridges and freezers heated up in hundreds of supermarkets across France.

Among the companies affected, more than 100 of Coopérative U's supermarkets were hit, as well as 180 stores operated by Intermarché and its Netto brand. In some stores, the temperatures of the fridges reportedly rose to 50C (120F) overnight. The spoilt fresh and frozen food left behind is estimated to be worth millions of euros.

The disruption was not confined to France. Last week, dozens of supermarkets across seven other European countries were also impacted by a cyber-attack that targeted fridges and freezers. It is not known if the instances are linked.

Iran is yet to respond to the allegations made by Barrot.

Separately on Monday, the Paris prosecutor said an investigation had been opened into the head of an offensive cyber unit associated with the IRGC, as well as his two deputies.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau named the unit as Shahid Kaveh and said it had an affiliation with the electronic and cyber centre of the IRGC, the same organization that Barrot accused of the supermarket attack.

Together, the announcements mean France is pursuing the matter on two tracks: sanctions at the European level against those responsible for the supermarket attack, and an investigation at home into figures linked to an IRGC-affiliated cyber unit.