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Iran described French accusations that it was behind cyber attacks that raised the temperatures of supermarket refrigerators and freezers as “hostile” and “baseless.”
On Monday, the French authorities held the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responsible for the series of hacks, which Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described as “unprecedented” in terms of their size and “level of aggression.”
He added that those responsible "will face sanctions."
Cyber attacks in France, which led to the destruction of tons of frozen and chilled food, were followed by similar hacks targeting supermarkets in several other European countries. It is not known whether these facts are connected.
Barrow said that the attack on French supermarkets “represents the first large-scale cyber attack aimed at sabotage on our territory, and constitutes a major attack on the interests of the country and the security of the French people.”
He explained that the government summoned the Iranian ambassador to Paris "to lodge a strong protest against this extremely dangerous act."
Barrow added that France would take “any other necessary and proportionate measures” to respond to the incident and “deter any party that might seek to repeat it.”
The Public Prosecutor in Paris, Laure Picot, said that an investigation had been opened against the head of an offensive cyber operations unit linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, along with his two deputies.
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Beko stated that the unit is called “Shahid Kawa,” and said that it is linked to the electronic and cyber center of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
“Shahid Kawa” is the name given to a group of hackers believed to be working directly for the Iranian regime.
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In recent weeks, a number of commentators and politicians in Iran have believed that the country must expand the scope of any retaliation beyond the Arab region, if the United States and Israel resume the war they started earlier this year.
On Monday, some Iranian media denied the French accusations, but no official comment was issued until the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement on Tuesday.
On October 11, hackers gained control of the software that regulates the temperatures of refrigeration units used in several French supermarkets.
The attacks affected more than 100 stores affiliated with the “Cooperative U” chain, in addition to 180 stores affiliated with “Intermarche” and its “Netto” brand.
According to reports, refrigerator temperatures in some stores rose to 50 degrees Celsius during one night.
The attack also targeted other major food stores, including Carrefour, Monoprix, and E. Leclerc, and affected a program provided by the Danish engineering company Danfoss.
The software allows retailers to manage their refrigeration units remotely.
Earlier this month, a second wave of hacks occurred, affecting more than 100 stores across Europe.
Supermarkets were also damaged in Belgium and Luxembourg, while the attacks affected a smaller number of stores in countries including Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland.
In a separate incident in August, refrigerators mysteriously malfunctioned at a few US military bases, leading to food spoilage. Reuters reported, citing informed sources, that investigations also address this incident as deliberate cyber attacks.
Since the spate of freezer attacks, experts have been speculating about which hacking groups might be responsible, and Iran was among the list of possible parties involved.
Although two groups of pro-Russian hacktivists claimed responsibility on Wednesday, few believed the claim.
The French government did not explain how it concluded that Iran was responsible.
Determining who is responsible for cyberattacks is extremely difficult, as hackers can hide their locations.
The report was co-prepared by Farshad Bayan, from BBC Persian.
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