“Cyberattack on French supermarkets was the work of Iran”

The cyberattack that struck the refrigeration systems of hundreds of French supermarkets in October was the work of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to the French government. Does that also apply to the hack on supermarkets in other European countries in early November?

“Attack on national security”

The cyberattack that disrupted the refrigeration systems of hundreds of French supermarkets on the night of October 11–12 is believed to have been carried out by the hacker group CyberAveng3rs, which is part of Shahid Kaveh, the cyber unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. At least, that is the claim of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who describes it as “a large-scale attack on national security and on our citizens.” The French public prosecutor’s office has already issued arrest warrants for the leader of the Revolutionary Guard and for the two leaders of the Shahid Kaveh cyber unit.

According to French authorities, some IP addresses can be linked to Iran, and a cyberattack method typical of Shahid Kaveh—which contains traces of Farsi—was reportedly used. In any case, it is very difficult to identify the perpetrators of such cyberattacks, as they leave hardly any traces. Furthermore, the affected cooling systems were highly vulnerable to this type of hack.

Claimed by Russian hackers

Two weeks after the French hack, a new, similar cyberattack struck several dozen supermarkets in at least twelve European countries, including Delhaize, Carrefour, and Intermarché stores in Belgium. In that instance as well, hackers managed to infiltrate the control systems of refrigeration units and activate the defrost function, causing the temperature to rise and rendering the food unsellable.

That attack was claimed by the pro-Russian hacker groups NoName057(16) and Z-Pentest, but many experts have cast doubt on that claim because the hackers provided no evidence and are not known for carrying out this type of attack. The Kremlin denied any involvement. It is unclear whether Iranian hackers were also responsible for that second wave of attacks. Analysts are questioning the motives behind the cyberattack: Iran has little to gain from this.

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