France: Iran behind attack on grocery stores

 

TT

Published 17:31 | Updated 18:00

 

Hundreds of French grocery stores were affected by the attack. File photo. Photo: Teresa Suarez/AP/TT

Hackers linked to the Iranian regime are suspected of being behind a cyberattack that recently disabled refrigeration and freezer units across France, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

"I can confirm that this attack was carried out by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard," Barrot said on Monday, as reported by AFP.

The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into a group linked to the Revolutionary Guard’s cyber unit, Prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated, according to the French outlet BFMTV.

The attack, which took place in mid-October, affected several major retail chains and impacted hundreds of stores in total—including Intermarché, which encompasses the Netto chain.

The hackers gained control of the temperature-regulation systems for the refrigeration and freezer units. One of the companies that supplied many of the compromised units noted that numerous stores had failed to update their systems, which may have made them easier to manipulate.

According to an estimate from one of the chains' owners, the total cost—covering both the food that had to be discarded and the damaged equipment—could amount to the equivalent of several hundred million Swedish kronor.

Last week, refrigeration and freezer systems in several other European countries, including Sweden, were hit by a similar attack. In those instances, two pro-Russian hacker groups claimed responsibility.