French authorities have accused Iran of being behind a cyberattack that raised the temperatures of refrigerators in many European supermarkets, causing millions of euros worth of food to spoil.
On Monday, 9 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Jean-Noël Barrot, France's Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement accusing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of orchestrating a cyberattack to disrupt and sabotage supermarket cooling systems. This caused freezers and refrigerators to overheat, leading to millions of euros in spoiled food.
Barrot described the attack as severe and the largest of its kind, calling it a major cyber sabotage that threatens national interests and security.
Additionally, the French Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador for a strong protest and is preparing to advocate for sanctions at the European Union (EU) level in response to the cyberattack.
Paris prosecutors revealed that investigators have begun probing the head of the IRGC's proactive cyber unit, named “Shahid Kaveh,” along with two deputy leaders, believing they are the hacker group acting under direct orders from the Iranian government.
In October, hackers breached the software of Danish company Danfoss, which remotely controls supermarket refrigerator temperatures. This hack caused dozens of French supermarket branches to experience refrigerator temperatures soaring to 50 degrees Celsius overnight, resulting in food damage valued at millions of euros.
A few weeks later, a second wave of attacks occurred in several European countries including Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland, impacting more than 100 supermarkets and stores.
In August, reports emerged that some U.S. military bases also experienced similar refrigerator malfunctions, which are under investigation to determine if they are related to cyber sabotage.
Iranian authorities have not yet responded to or acknowledged France's allegations.
Previously, a pro-Russian hacker group claimed responsibility for the cyberattacks, but analysts and experts mostly support France's assessment pointing to Iran, although the French Foreign Ministry has not disclosed technical details on how the hacker group was identified.
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Source:bbc