France accuses Iran of turning supermarket fridges into cyber weapons

A cyberattack that turned supermarket cooling systems into a source of massive food losses has triggered a diplomatic row between France and Iran, after French authorities accused Tehran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of orchestrating the operation.

The attacks, which affected hundreds of supermarkets in France last month, involved hackers taking control of digital systems responsible for regulating refrigerator and freezer temperatures.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the incident as an extraordinary act of cyber aggression, warning that France would impose sanctions against those found responsible.

Iran has not officially responded to the allegations, although some media outlets in the country have dismissed the claims as baseless.

Barrot said the operation went beyond ordinary cybercrime, describing it as an attempt to cause deliberate damage on French soil.

"The attack on France's supermarkets marks the first large-scale cyber-attack aimed at sabotage on our national territory, and it constitutes a major attack on the nation's interests and the security of the French people," he said.

The French government has summoned Iran's ambassador in Paris to register a strong diplomatic protest over the incident.

Barrot said the country was prepared to take additional steps against those behind the attacks, including "any other necessary and proportionate measures" to respond to the incident and "deter anyone who might seek to repeat it".

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Paris have opened an investigation into three senior figures linked to an Iranian offensive cyber unit, including its head and two deputies.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau identified the unit as Shahid Kaveh, which she said has links to the electronic and cyber centre of the IRGC. Shahid Kaveh is the name associated with a group of hackers believed to work directly for the Iranian government.

The first major disruption was detected on October 11, when hackers reportedly accessed software used to control refrigeration equipment in French supermarkets.

More than 100 Coopérative U outlets were affected, alongside 180 stores operating under the Intermarché and Netto brands. In some supermarkets, temperatures inside refrigeration units reportedly climbed to 50C overnight, leaving chilled and frozen products unfit for sale.

The attacks also reached other leading retailers, including Carrefour, Monoprix and E.Leclerc.

Investigators believe the operation targeted software developed by Danish engineering company Danfoss. The technology enables supermarkets to monitor and adjust the temperatures of their refrigeration units remotely.

The disruption later spread beyond France, with another series of attacks reported earlier this month across several European countries.

More than 100 stores were affected in the second wave, with supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg reporting incidents. Smaller numbers of outlets in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland were also targeted.

Authorities have not established whether the attacks in the different countries were coordinated or connected to the same perpetrators.

The investigation has also brought renewed attention to suspicious refrigeration failures reported at a number of United States military bases in August. The incidents resulted in food being spoiled, with Reuters reporting that investigators were examining possible deliberate cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity experts have since been assessing the possible groups behind the supermarket attacks, with Iran among the countries considered potential suspects.

On Wednesday, two hacking groups aligned with Russia claimed they had carried out the operation. However, their statements attracted little credibility among observers.

French authorities have not explained publicly how they reached the conclusion that Iran was responsible. Identifying the perpetrators of cyberattacks is particularly difficult because hackers can hide their identities and disguise the locations from which they launch operations.

The accusations also come as tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel remain a concern.

In recent weeks, some Iranian politicians and commentators have argued that if Washington and Tel Aviv resume the conflict they started earlier this year, Tehran should consider retaliation beyond the Middle East.

It remains unclear whether the supermarket attacks, if carried out by the IRGC, were part of such a strategy or intended to serve as a warning against further military action.