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France Blames Iran-Linked Hackers for Supermarket Fridge Cyberattack, Seeks Arrest Warrants
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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cyber unit blamed for October supermarket fridge attack in France. Paris prosecutor's office opened a judicial information, seeking arrest warrants for Shahid Kaveh leaders.
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Hacks hit fridge controls
France blamed Iran-linked hackers for a cyberattack that disrupted refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot saying the attack was carried out by a cyber unit linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters Monday that the attack was carried out by a cyber unit linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Barrot told reporters that the overnight attack on Oct. 11–12 remotely altered refrigeration settings at French retail locations, spoiling food and triggering fires.
The Paris prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation and sought international arrest warrants for the alleged leader of the unit and two deputies, identifying the group as Shahid Kaveh.
The prosecutor’s office said it found evidence including Farsi-language activity and IP addresses traced to Iran, and it described the unit as affiliated with the Guards’ electronic and cyber center.
Barrot said, “This attack is unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression,” and he added that France would seek European-level sanctions against those responsible.
Prosecutor targets Shahid Kaveh
The Paris prosecutor’s office said it opened a judicial information into charges including fraudulent access to an automated data processing system in an organized gang and damage by a dangerous means for people in an organized gang. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the offenses were aggravated by the circumstance of having been committed “to serve a foreign power, in this case Iran,” and the prosecutor’s office requested international arrest warrants. Beccuau identified the targeted unit as Shahid Kaveh and said it was affiliated with the Electronic Center and Cyber Unit of the Guards of the Revolution (CGRI-CEC).
The prosecutor’s office said the investigation uncovered an attack methodology characteristic of the unit, including “the use of Farsi, and IP addresses pointing to terminals located in Iran,” and it said the attacks affected about 700 sites in France. The prosecutor’s office also described the technical method as attackers remotely taking control of the equipment via web interfaces to trigger abnormal, unlimited-duration defrost cycles while disabling security alerts of sensors.
Sanctions and wider European impact
France said it would impose sanctions “on a European scale,” and Barrot said the government convened on Monday the Iranian ambassador to France to protest “very strongly against this extremely serious act.” Barrot also said the Foreign Affairs Council would meet next Monday, and he linked the response to the fact that cyberincidents occurring in Europe, if attributed, call for a strong response. Kaja Kallas said the ministers of the seven most industrialized countries had just been informed that the cyberattack was “attributed to Iran,” and she recalled that “So far, we did not know the attribution.”
“It is not known if the instances are linked.”
The attacks were not limited to France, with other European countries experiencing similar attacks, and the BBC said dozens of supermarkets across seven other European countries were also impacted by a cyber-attack targeting fridges and freezers. The BBC reported that it was not known if the instances are linked, while Iran had not responded to Barrot’s allegations at the time of the reporting.