France accuses Iran of supermarket fridge hacking

France has opened an investigation and accused Iran of being behind cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration units, saying hackers gained internet access and remotely raised temperatures to 50C during the night when shops were closed. Millions of euros worth of food was spoiled, according to retailers, and in some cases the raised temperatures sparked fires or melted equipment.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned and that sanctions would be brought against Iran at a "European level." He said: "I can confirm that this attack was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Barrot called the attack "unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression" and said France would implement European-level sanctions against all those responsible.

The Paris prosecutor's office said it has requested international arrest warrants against the leader of Shahid Kaveh, an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, and his two deputies. Al Jazeera separately described Shahid Kaveh as an Iran cyber unit tied to the fridge hacking.

The attacks on French supermarkets occurred on October 11 and 12, according to Barrot. French supermarket groups E-Leclerc, Intermarche, Carrefour, Monoprix and Cooperative U were all hit.

Intermarche said at least 300 of its stores and its Netto brand were affected. Cooperative U said more than 100 of its supermarkets were targeted, while Carrefour said 80 supermarkets were affected. Monoprix reported that about 5 percent of its roughly 490 stores were hit.

The coverage from KFOR, the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, CNN, BBC and NBC News also reported the French accusation against Iran and the Revolutionary Guards. The Guardian's headline said France blames Iran's Revolutionary Guards for the cyber-attacks on supermarket fridges, while CNN described the attack as "unprecedented."