France accuses Iran of cyberattack on supermarket fridges

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France has opened an investigation and accused Iran of being behind recent cyberattacks targeting refrigeration units in supermarkets.

French authorities said on Monday that they are probing a cyber unit affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over the attacks, which caused fires and food waste.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the Iranian ambassador had been summoned and that sanctions would be brought against Iran at a “European level”.

The Paris prosecutor’s ⁠office said ⁠it has requested international arrest warrants against ⁠the leader ⁠of Shahid Kaveh, ⁠an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC, and his two ‌deputies.

“I can confirm that this attack was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Barrot said of the cyberattacks on French supermarkets that occurred on October 11 and 12.

“This attack is unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression,” he said. “We will implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible for this attack.”

Authorities say hackers gained internet access to the refrigeration systems and remotely cranked up temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) during the night when shops were closed.

Millions of euros worth of food was spoiled, according to retailers. In some cases, the raised temperatures sparked fires or melted equipment.

French supermarket groups E-Leclerc, Intermarche, Carrefour, Monoprix and Cooperative U were all hit.

At least 300 of Intermarche’s stores and its Netto brand were affected. Cooperative U said more than 100 of its supermarkets were targeted, while Carrefour said 80 supermarkets were affected, and Monoprix reported that about 5 percent of its roughly 490 stores were hit.