France investigates Iran for cyber attacks on supermarkets

The investigation targets the Iranian Shahid Kaveh group, a unit specializing in offensive cyber operations linked to the Revolutionary Guard, the military force responsible for protecting the Islamic regime in Tehran. According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, arrest warrants were requested against the leader of the group and two of his assistants.

The attacks took place in the early hours of October 12 and affected the refrigeration equipment of approximately 700 commercial establishments in France. The attackers were able to remotely access the temperature control systems and change the device settings, causing an abnormal increase in heat inside refrigerators and freezers.

In some equipment, temperatures reached 50°C, causing food spoilage and damage to facilities. According to the French National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSSI), the attacks also caused at least 15 fires. The French government estimates that the losses reached tens of millions of euros.

Authorities say they have identified evidence linking the attacks to the Iranian group, including the use of digital tools associated with the organization, records in Persian and internet addresses linked to devices located in Iran.

This Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot publicly held the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responsible for the attacks and announced that the French government intends to take measures against those involved.

“The responsibility for this attack lies with the Revolutionary Guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Barrot said during a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris.

The minister classified the operation as the first large-scale cyber sabotage attack recorded on French territory and stated that the episode will not remain without consequences.

In response, the French government announced that it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to Paris to lodge a formal protest and announced that it intended to propose new sanctions against those responsible within the European Union.

The investigation also comes after other similar attacks targeted refrigeration equipment in different European countries in early November. The failures affected supermarkets and even units used to store blood in France. Authorities, however, have not yet formally attributed this second wave of attacks to the same Iranian group.

France had already held groups linked to the Revolutionary Guard’s cyber structure responsible for other operations against French interests, including digital attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in 2023, and actions related to the Paris Olympic Games, in 2024.