France Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Allegations of IRGC Hacking Hundreds of Supermarkets.. Electronically
France summons Iranian ambassador over cyberattacks on stores
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday, following a cyberattack incident in which French officials accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard of responsibility for cyberattacks that disrupted cooling systems and commercial refrigerators across France last October, emphasizing that Iran would face consequences for its actions.
The breaches, which targeted hundreds of major retail stores in France in early October, are among the most disruptive cyberattacks since the outbreak of Iran’s war in February, a conflict that has seen sporadic incidents suspected of causing electronic disruptions.
Among these incidents were attacks targeting Los Angeles’ transportation system in March, US water treatment plants in July, and ships bound for the United States in August.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not respond to messages requesting comment. Iran typically denies carrying out any cyberattacks.
The French announcement came minutes after Reuters reported that investigators suspect Iranian circles were behind these attacks. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters. Barrot also hinted at the possibility of additional European Union sanctions against Iran.
The consequences of the attacks were severe, with temperatures in some refrigerators rising to levels that sparked fires. In the hours following the breach, employees at major retail stores were seen moving boxes filled with spoiled meat and melted ice cream into large dumpsters. One French supermarket owner estimated that the total cost of the attack could reach tens of millions of euros nationwide.
In the wake of these attacks, a second wave hit more than 100 facilities across Europe this month, extending to blood banks’ refrigerators in France, forcing staff to transfer large quantities of blood to other cooling units.
