A quiet piece of modern infrastructure, the cold chain that keeps food and medicine safe, was turned against the people it served when hackers pushed supermarket fridges toward dangerous heat in October. France's foreign minister now places the blame on Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a claim that reaches across the old human struggle between states over power and the fragile systems that everyday life depends on. Whether that accusation will hold, and how Iran and Europe will answer it, remains open.
France Accuses Iran's IRGC of Cyberattacks That Spoiled Food and Disrupted Blood Banks Across Europe
Blood units had to be moved from blood-bank refrigerators, and hundreds of tons of food spoiled after fridges overheated and some caught fire.
A cyberattack turned supermarket refrigeration against the food it protected
Mark
Why does this story land differently from the usual hacking headline?
Mimi
Because the damage is physical. Thermostats were raised, fridges caught fire, and hundreds of tons of food spoiled across hundreds of stores.
Mark
And then it reached blood banks.
Mimi
Yes. In the second wave, staff had to move some blood to other cold storage units. That's the moment it stops being a retail problem.
Luke
Careful with scale there. The reporting says some blood was moved. It doesn't say how much, or whether any was lost.
Mark
Fair. What about the attribution to Iran's IRGC?
Mimi
Foreign Minister Barrot made it directly, summoned Iran's ambassador, and promised European sanctions.
Luke
But it's his allegation. Iran hasn't responded, and the evidence hasn't been laid out in what we have. ANSSI is still investigating.
Mark
Are the attacks in seven other European countries part of the same campaign?
Luke
Unknown. The reporting says outright that it's not known if they're linked.
Mimi
One thing that is on record is the firmware. The manufacturer said several units were obsolete or outdated, which could have made them easy to break into.
Luke
Could have. That's a possibility from the manufacturer, not a finding. And the tens of millions of euros is one supermarket owner's estimate, not an audited figure.
Der Puls
- Hundreds of French supermarkets saw fridges and freezers driven to dangerous temperatures, with some units catching fire and food spoiling by the ton.
- The disruption spread beyond groceries when blood-bank refrigerators were compromised and staff scrambled to move blood to other cold storage.
- France has summoned Iran's ambassador and is pushing European partners toward sanctions, while the national cybersecurity agency ANSSI digs for proof.
- Iran has not answered the accusation, and it is still unclear whether attacks in seven other European countries share the same hand behind them.
A quiet piece of modern infrastructure, the cold chain that keeps food and medicine safe, was turned against the people it served when hackers pushed supermarket fridges toward dangerous heat in October. France's foreign minister now places the blame on Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a claim that reaches across the old human struggle between states over power and the fragile systems that everyday life depends on. Whether that accusation will hold, and how Iran and Europe will answer it, remains open.
France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has publicly blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for a cyberattack that turned supermarket refrigeration against the food it was meant to protect. He called the attack unprecedented in scale and aggression, described it as a serious assault on French interests and on the safety of its people, and said France has summoned Iran's ambassador and will seek sanctions across Europe.
The first strike came on October 11 and hit hundreds of shops belonging to Intermarché, Netto, Cooperative U and E. Leclerc. Thermostats on fridges and freezers were pushed to levels described as unprecedented, some units caught fire, and hundreds of tons of food were lost. One supermarket owner put the nationwide cost at up to tens of millions of euros.
The damage then reached a more intimate part of daily life. Refrigerators used by French blood banks were affected, and staff had to move some blood into other cold storage. How much was involved, and whether any was lost, has not been disclosed.
The manufacturer of many affected units said some were obsolete or ran outdated firmware, which may have made the intrusions possible. ANSSI is still investigating. Meanwhile, dozens of supermarkets in seven other European countries were hit by similar attacks, and it is not yet known whether they are connected. Iran has not responded, and the questions of proof, retaliation and European agreement remain unresolved.
France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has named the culprit behind a cyberattack that turned supermarket refrigeration against the food it was meant to protect. He says it was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, the IRGC, and he has promised that Iran will face what he called retaliatory sanctions.
Barrot described the attack as unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression. He said France would push for sanctions at the European level against everyone responsible. He also said the attacks amounted to a major assault on the nation's interests and on the security of the French people, and that France has summoned Iran's ambassador. Iran has not yet responded to the allegations.
The first strike came on October 11. It hit at least 300 shops belonging to Intermarché and its Netto brand, along with 100 Cooperative U outlets and a number of E. Leclerc stores. The hackers raised the thermostats on fridges and freezers to levels described as unprecedented. Some units caught fire, and hundreds of tons of food spoiled. Headlines at the time spoke of fridges being turned up to 50C.
The attacks count among the most disruptive cyber incidents of the Iran war, and the bill is large. One French supermarket owner estimated the total cost at up to tens of millions of euros nationwide, with millions of euros of food wasted.
A second wave reached further into daily life. It affected refrigerators used by French blood banks, and employees had to move some of the blood into other cold storage units. The source does not say how much blood was involved or whether any was lost.
The company that made many of the affected units offered a partial explanation for how the hackers got in. It said several of the units were obsolete or running outdated firmware, which could have made them easy to break into. France's national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, is investigating the large-scale hack.
The French case now sits alongside a wider problem. Last week, dozens of supermarkets across seven other European countries were hit by a cyberattack aimed at fridges and freezers. UK meat suppliers reported their fridges heating up after attacks that struck Europe. It is not known whether those incidents are linked to the French attacks.
What to watch next: whether ANSSI's investigation produces public evidence behind the attribution, how Iran answers, and whether France can win agreement from its European partners on sanctions. Whether the attacks in the seven other countries trace back to the same actor is still unanswered.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The attack was unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression, and France would implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible.— Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister
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