France accuses group linked to Iran for attacking supermarket refrigerators and announces sanctions

French authorities have formally attributed to Iran the campaign of cyber attacks that broke into the refrigeration systems of supermarkets in Europe and raised the temperature of freezers to up to 50°C, in a development that expands the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

This Monday (9), the Paris Prosecutor's Office reported that the investigation identified elements that point to the involvement of the Shahid Kaveh group and to acting for the benefit of a foreign power, which investigators identify as Iran.

According to prosecutors, the investigation found the use of the Farsi language and IP addresses associated with devices located in Iran. The investigation also highlighted what authorities classified as a methodology characteristic of the Shahid Kaveh group.

The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation against the group on suspicion of hacking supermarket refrigerator systems and issued international arrest warrants against the organization's leader and his two deputy leaders.

Remember the attack

The invasion campaign became public on Monday (11) after hitting supermarket chains in different European countries, including France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

According to investigations, criminals managed to access systems responsible for controlling refrigeration equipment in stores and distribution centers. Instead of stealing data or demanding ransom payments, the attackers remotely changed the temperature of the devices.

In some cases, freezers reached temperatures of up to 50°C, compromising the conservation of products that depend on constant refrigeration, such as meat, fish, dairy products, frozen foods and medicines stored by some units.

The rise in temperatures caused the discarding of large quantities of goods and forced supermarkets to temporarily suspend operations to check affected stocks and equipment.

In addition to the financial losses, the episode generated concern among authorities and digital security experts because it showed that hackers can target everyday physical systems, and not just computers and databases.

The case drew attention precisely because it had the potential to affect the food supply chain.