France says Iran's Guards behind cyberattacks on fridges

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Monday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for a series of cyberattacks targeting French supermarket refrigeration units. The attacks occurred on the night of October 11-12, affecting over 700 French retailers, including Carrefour, Monoprix, Intermarché, and Coopérative U. During the attacks, hackers manually altered fridge temperatures, resulting in potential fires and significant losses to the food and other goods stored.

Barrot informed the G7 ministerial that an investigation was underway, with Iran's ambassador to France set to be summoned. France plans to impose necessary sanctions at the European level against the perpetrators. The EU's Foreign Policy chief, Kaja Kallas, emphasized that the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council meeting on November 16 would provide an opportunity to discuss these cyberattacks taking place across Europe. She stated that if attributed, France's response should be stronger.

France's Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement, asserting that the cyberattacks caused substantial material damage, including fires, and estimated losses of tens of millions of euros. The ministry highlighted the attacks as a significant threat to national interests and the security of French citizens. The ministry also noted that this was not the first time Iran had targeted France with destabilization acts, citing a hack on Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and hostile actions during the 2024 Olympic Games.