French Government Blames Iranian Revolutionary Guards for Supermarket Refrigeration Cyberattack

French authorities have accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of orchestrating a cyberattack last month that compromised refrigeration systems in supermarkets across the country. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the incident represented an unprecedented level of aggression and scale, marking the first large-scale sabotage cyberattack directed at French national territory.

The security breach occurred on October 11, when hackers seized control of software regulating commercial cooling units. The disruption affected more than 100 Coopérative U supermarkets alongside 180 stores operating under Intermarché and its Netto brand. In several locations, overnight temperatures inside the refrigeration units climbed as high as 50 degrees Celsius, resulting in the destruction of tons of chilled and frozen food items.

Following the incident, the French government summoned the Iranian ambassador in Paris to deliver a formal protest regarding the event. Minister Barrot indicated that those responsible would face sanctions and warned that the state would implement additional proportionate measures to prevent future occurrences. Iranian authorities have not issued an official response, though certain domestic media outlets have characterized the accusations as groundless.

The Paris prosecutor's office initiated a formal inquiry targeting the leader of an offensive cyber unit linked to the IRGC and two of his deputies. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau identified the implicated group as Shahid Kaveh, a cluster of hackers allegedly connected to the electronic and cyber centre of the IRGC and directly employed by the Iranian regime.

Subsequent to the disruption in France, similar cyber operations targeted retail stores in several other European nations, though authorities have not yet confirmed whether the incidents are connected. While commentators and political figures in Iran have recently suggested expanding strategic retaliation beyond the Middle East amid regional conflicts, it remains undetermined whether the supermarket attacks formed part of any official deterrence strategy.