France blames Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for ‘unprecedented’ supermarket fridge cyberattacks

France has accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of carrying out unprecedented cyberattacks on supermarket refrigerators in the country last month, threatening sanctions against Tehran for the large-scale cyber sabotage. Numerous French supermarkets were targeted during the October 11 and 12 attacks, which caused refrigerators to overheat and forced some stores to discard perishable food.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was behind the attacks, calling them "unprecedented in both scale and aggression." The Paris prosecutor has opened an investigation into Shahid Kaveh, a shadowy cyber unit of the IRGC, also known as CyberAveng3rs in the cyber world. The attacks represent the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French national territory and a major threat to the nation's interests and security.

France plans to implement EU-level sanctions against those responsible. Other European countries, including at least nine with grocery stores, also experienced similar attacks on their freezer systems on November 2. The incidents have raised concerns about cyberattacks from Iran and Russia while European countries support Ukraine in its war against Moscow.