Iran accused of cyber-attacks on French retailers — losses in tens of millions
France accuses Iran's Revolutionary Guard of cyber-attacks on supermarkets that struck 700 retail outlets in October. The losses reached tens of millions of euros.
France accuses Iran's Revolutionary Guard of cyber-attacks on supermarkets
As BNN reports, on 9 November French officials publicly accused Iran's Revolutionary Guard cyber unit "Shahid Kaveh" of orchestrating an attack on French supermarkets. The attacks took place in October and affected 700 retail outlets across the country.
The attackers gained access to the control devices of refrigeration and cooling systems. In some cases, the temperature in refrigerators and freezers was raised to 50 degrees Celsius. Store employees after the attacks disposed of large quantities of spoiled meat and melted ice cream products. The total losses, according to estimates, reached tens of millions of euros.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Iran's ambassador had been invited to provide explanations. Barrot also pointed to possible additional European Union sanctions against Iran.
In a joint report by France's intelligence and cybersecurity agencies, it was stated that cyber criminals had operated under the guise of various organisations, including "CyberAveng3rs" and "Cyber Isnaad Front", positioning themselves as defenders of digital justice. The report also indicates that the interconnection between the attacks and the infrastructure used, the nature of the attacks, and traces of the Persian language in the digital environment made it possible to link Shahid Kaveh to these events. The Paris prosecutor's office announced that it had requested the issuance of international arrest warrants against those responsible.
The consequences of the attacks extended beyond material losses — at least 15 fires were caused. In November, similar cyber-attacks were detected in other European countries, including blood banks in France, whose personnel were forced to relocate blood supplies to other cold storage facilities.
These events are considered among the most significant attacks since February, when the United States and Israel entered into conflict with Iran — a conflict characterised by sporadic incidents related to digital service disruption. Iran is also blamed for an attack on the Los Angeles transit system in March, attacks on US water treatment facilities in July and August, and strikes on ships heading to the United States.
Before the series of European retail incidents, at least one similar incident occurred in the United States — in August, refrigeration systems failed in at least six military base stores. Pentagon investigators classify this incident as a cyber-attack and are working with French investigators. A source familiar with the case details told Reuters that US military experts consider Iran responsible, however the investigation is still ongoing. On 9 November, the Pentagon confirmed that it was aware of theories about a possible cyber-attack, but refrained from further comment due to security considerations.
Iran's mission to the United Nations has not responded to Reuters' request for comment. Tehran consistently denies orchestrating any malicious cyber-attacks.
Source: BNN