France has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of orchestrating a cyberattack on around 700 supermarkets.
The October 12 attack pushed refrigeration temperatures to 50°C, forcing retailers to discard fresh and frozen food.
Paris has summoned Iran's ambassador and announced plans to seek European sanctions against those responsible.
France has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of orchestrating a cyberattack that disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets across the country last month, prompting Paris to summon the Iranian ambassador and announce plans to seek European sanctions against those involved.
The October 12 attack compromised refrigeration systems at about 700 of France's 10,000 supermarkets, causing temperatures to rise sharply and forcing retailers to discard fresh and frozen food. French prosecutors said on Monday that their investigation had identified Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as being behind the operation, while the government announced plans for diplomatic and economic action against those responsible.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Iranian ambassador was being summoned to the Foreign Ministry to “strongly protest against this extremely serious act”. Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 talks in Paris, Barrot said France would pursue sanctions at the European level against those responsible.
“This is an attack of unprecedented scale and aggressiveness,” Mr. Barrot said. “It is the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil, and it represents a major threat to our national interests and the security of the French people. That is why it will not go unanswered.”
He also vowed to take “any other measures needed” to respond to the attack and deter similar incidents in the future.
The French Foreign Ministry also condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms”.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Monday that a formal judicial investigation had been opened into suspected organised cybercrime, with the aggravating circumstance that the operation was allegedly carried out “to serve the interests of a foreign power — in this case, Iran”.
The investigation targets the head of Shahid Kaveh, an Iranian cyber unit affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with his two deputies and any other individuals who may be identified during the probe.
Investigators cited the use of Farsi and internet protocol (IP) addresses traced to devices located in Iran as indicators linking the operation to the group, Beccuau said, according to AFP. The Paris prosecutor's office is seeking international arrest warrants against those suspected of involvement.
How The Cyberattack Disrupted Supermarkets
The attack began in the early hours of October 12, when hackers remotely gained control of refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France.
The compromised systems saw temperatures climb to 50 degrees Celsius, with the disruption continuing for approximately six hours. Retailers were consequently forced to discard fresh and frozen products that could no longer be stored safely.
The financial impact was particularly significant for the Intermarché supermarket chain, which reported losses amounting to “tens of millions of euros” in a single day.
The attack affected approximately seven per cent of France's supermarket network.
