Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hacked France’s supermarket fridges, Paris says, and switched off the alarms first

France has named Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as the force behind a cyberattack that took over refrigeration systems in supermarkets across the country last month, leaving stores to throw out food that had quietly warmed overnight.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made the accusation on Monday in Paris, on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers. He said he could confirm the attack was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Barrot described it as the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil, and said it was “unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression”. He said about 700 sites were targeted.

France summoned Iran’s ambassador in Paris to lodge what Barrot called a very strong protest. “We will implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible,” he said, adding that further measures would follow, public or otherwise.

How did the attack work?

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the attackers reached refrigeration equipment remotely through web interfaces and set off “abnormal, indefinite defrost cycles”. At the same time, the sensors meant to raise an alarm when temperatures crossed safe limits were switched off.

In other words, the fridges warmed up and nobody was told. Some stores had to throw away their entire stock of perishable food. Retailers have said millions of euros of food was spoiled; temperatures in some cabinets reportedly reached as high as 50°C overnight, and some incidents led to fires or melted equipment.

The prosecutor said the attack was traced to Iran through the use of the Persian language and IP addresses leading to computers in Iran.

Who was hit?

The attacks on 11 and 12 October struck at least 300 Intermarché stores, including its Netto brand, more than 100 Coopérative U supermarkets, 80 Carrefour supermarkets, about 5% of Monoprix’s roughly 490 stores, and an unstated number of E.Leclerc outlets.

Who is Shahid Kaveh?

Prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation into Shahid Kaveh, which they describe as an offensive cyber unit linked to the Revolutionary Guards’ Electronic and Cyber Centre. The investigation targets its head and two deputies, who have not been named. Little is publicly known about the unit, though the Revolutionary Guards have expanded into cyber warfare in recent years.

Iran has not publicly responded to the accusation. Tehran routinely denies carrying out hostile cyber operations.

Is this only France?

No. On 2 November, overnight temperature spikes hit dozens of grocery stores and a food distribution hub in other European countries, including Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden. France has not said whether it believes Iran was behind that second wave.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, speaking after Barrot, said she had just learned of the attribution and that “our response should be strong”.

Why would Iran target fridges?

France has not set out a motive. The accusation comes after the United States and Israel went to war with Iran from 28 February, a conflict European countries did not join. French officials have also accused Iran of spreading misinformation about the cost-of-living protests that have swept France over the past month.

The method matters well beyond France. Supermarket refrigeration, like building heating and cooling, is increasingly run through internet-connected controllers so it can be monitored remotely. The attack shows how a weakness in that kind of equipment can be turned into physical damage, food waste and empty shelves without anyone setting foot in a store.

For Australia, the accusation will be familiar territory. Canberra expelled Iran’s ambassador in August 2025 after Australia’s security agency concluded the Revolutionary Guards had directed antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, and moved to list the force as a state sponsor of terrorism.