France Accuses Iran of Cyberattacks That Disrupted Supermarket Fridges
France has formally accused Iran of a series of destructive cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure, the systems that keep essential services running. The attacks took place in October 2026, and the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation.
France's National Cybersecurity Agency, known as ANSSI, said Iranian military hackers took control of refrigeration controllers, the devices that regulate cold storage, at about 700 retail sites in France. The compromised sites included supermarkets and butcher shops. NPR reported that the hackers raised refrigerator temperatures in the middle of the night, spoiling food worth millions of dollars.
The same campaign targeted several small hydroelectric power plants in France, causing moderate effects, according to NPR and France's cybersecurity agency.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the campaign unprecedented in scale and aggression. He said it marks the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French national territory.
The Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into an Iranian cyber unit called Shahid Kaveh, which France links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The prosecutor's office said it is requesting the issuance of international arrest warrants in connection with the investigation. France's government has formally blamed Iran for the wave of attacks on refrigeration controllers.
Among the retailers affected were the supermarket chains Intermarché and Cooperative U, where refrigerators defrosted. Reuters reported in October that Intermarché was hit with 150 stores targeted, and that temperatures in some refrigerators and freezers were raised as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). The same report said the hack sparked fires.
Reuters has since reported that at least 350 supermarkets were caught up in the October attacks. Reuters
France's cyber alert service, CERT-FR, reported knowledge of numerous compromises of remote controllers for refrigeration installations. The compromised devices involved Danfoss AK-SM and AK-SC series controllers. The service also published a security incident notice on the remote controllers.
In November, a supermarket refrigeration attack spread across Europe and knocked out refrigeration systems, according to Reuters.
