- A cyberattack targeted commercial refrigerators and freezers across Europe, including Intermarché supermarkets.
- France's investigation found evidence linking the attackers to Iran, including the use of Farsi and IP addresses from devices in Iran.
- Paris prosecutors are seeking international arrest warrants for the leader of the Shahid Kaveh group and his two deputies.
- France has publicly blamed Iran for the attack and warned of consequences.
- France's national cybersecurity agency ANSSI attributed other cyberattacks since 2020 to the IRGC-affiliated Shahid Shoostari group, including attacks on Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
France has officially blamed Iran for a cyberattack that targeted supermarket refrigeration systems on October 12, impacting around 700 stores and causing significant losses.
The attack, which raised temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for six hours, forced stores to discard fresh and frozen goods, leading to losses of “tens of millions of euros” in a single day for the Intermarché supermarket chain.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned the incident as an “attack of unprecedented scale and aggressiveness,” marking it as the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil. He emphasized that it represents a major threat to national interests and security.
In response, France is pursuing European Union sanctions against those responsible and has opened a formal judicial investigation into organized cybercrime linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The investigation targets the leader of the Shahid Kaveh group, a cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC, along with his deputies.
Prosecutors noted that the attackers used Farsi and IP addresses traced back to Iran, further implicating the Iranian government.
Barrot stated, “It will not go unanswered.” France’s national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, has also linked other cyberattacks against France since 2020 to Iranian-affiliated groups, including incidents targeting Charlie Hebdo and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“Intermarché reported losses of "tens of millions of euros" in a single day from the attack, as investigators found evidence of Farsi language and IP addresses linked to devices in Iran. France's ANSSI also attributes other cyberattacks since 2020 to the IRGC-affiliated Shahid Shoostari group, including against Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.”
