France blames Iran for cyberattack on supermarket fridges

France blamed Iran’s Shahid Kaveh cyber unit for the supermarket refrigeration attack on 9 November, after the October incident affected about 700 stores. French officials said the attack was an act of sabotage; it spoiled food and led to a judicial investigation in Paris.

• The 12 October attack affected about 700 of France’s roughly 10,000 supermarkets.
• Refrigeration temperatures reached 50°C for about six hours; Intermarché reported losses of tens of millions of euros in one day.
• France announced plans for European sanctions, while Paris prosecutors opened an investigation and sought international arrest warrants.

How the supermarket refrigeration attack unfolded

The Associated Press reported that attackers remotely took control of refrigeration systems in supermarkets and independent stores across France in the early hours of 12 October. Temperatures reached 50°C (122°F) for about six hours, forcing stores to discard fresh and frozen goods. The Register, citing France’s Cyber Crisis Coordination Centre, reported at least 15 fires and food losses worth tens of millions of euros. Intermarché described its losses as tens of millions of euros in a single day, according to the AP.

The Register reported that French officials said the Shahid Kaveh unit had been able since at least June 2024 to scan, access and control industrial-control equipment made by Schneider Electric, Siemens and Rockwell. The French government described the supermarket operation as the first cyber offensive campaign carried out purely for sabotage on French territory. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called it unprecedented in scale and aggressiveness, according to DW; both descriptions are the government’s characterization.

France’s sanctions plan and Paris investigation

Barrot said France would impose sanctions at European level against those responsible, DW and the AP reported. France also summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest, according to the AP. The Foreign Ministry said France reserved the right to take further public or non-public measures it considered necessary and proportionate, The Register reported.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said a formal judicial investigation opened on 9 November into suspected organised cybercrime aggravated by service to a foreign power, identified as Iran. It targets Shahid Kaveh’s leader and two deputies, as well as other people who may be identified. The AP reported that prosecutors were seeking international arrest warrants.

What it means for affected stores

The attack forced supermarkets to remove and discard spoiled products, with the reported losses running into tens of millions of euros for Intermarché in a single day. A separate attempt to raise temperatures at French blood banks the previous week was thwarted before it damaged blood products or samples, the AP reported. DW said similar refrigeration incidents had been reported in other European countries and the United States; whether those incidents were connected to the French attack is unclear.