France Blames Iran's Revolutionary Guards for Supermarket Fridge Cyberattack

France formally blamed Iran on Monday for a cyberattack that knocked out supermarket fridges and freezers across the country last month, and said Tehran would face sanctions in response.

French officials accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of responsibility for the attack. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on Monday that it was the first large-scale cyberattack carried out for sabotage purposes on French national territory.

Barrot said: "This was an attack of unprecedented scale and unprecedented aggressiveness." He added: "It represents a major assault on the nation's interests and on the security of the French people."

How the fridges were hit

Reuters dates the French attack to October 11, 2026. Hackers remotely connected to supermarket fridges and freezers and raised their temperature by switching on defrost cycles. The attack overrode the temperature controls on commercial fridges in hundreds of establishments.

Produce spoiled at around 700 retailers. Large quantities of fresh and frozen produce were lost, and some refrigeration equipment caught fire. Experts previously told Reuters that several units were obsolete or running outdated firmware, which could have made them easy to break into.

Reuters also reported an estimate by one French supermarket owner that the total cost could add up to tens of millions of euros nationwide. That figure is an estimate, not a confirmed total.

The case Paris set out

The Paris prosecutor's office accused Iran of being behind the attack, citing "the use of Farsi and IP addresses pointing to devices located in Iran."

The prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the head of Shahid Kaveh, a cyber unit affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, his two deputies, and any other individuals responsible.

Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that French officials suspect Iranian state-backed hackers were behind the attacks. Reuters said the hacks are among the most disruptive cyberattacks of the war with Iran that began in February.

Sanctions and a summons

Barrot said France has summoned Iran's ambassador. He said France intends to impose retaliatory sanctions at a European level. French officials said there would be consequences for Iran, and Monday's announcement turned that warning into a formal accusation against the Revolutionary Guards.

Similar attacks elsewhere in Europe

A similar cyberattack targeted supermarkets in Sweden, Belgium and Ireland earlier this month. CNN reported that it remains unclear if those incidents are linked to the one in France, and that no one has claimed responsibility for this month's cyberattacks. Reuters reported that a second wave this month hit more than 100 establishments across Europe.

Orbit Post reported the November attacks in Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden as a separate story. This article covers the October attack in France and the French attribution announced on Monday.

No reply from Tehran

There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the French allegations. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not return Reuters messages seeking comment. CNN and Reuters reported that Iran routinely denies carrying out malicious cyber operations.