France has accused Iran for cyber-attacks on supermarkets that disrupted refrigeration and freezing systems, causing food spoilage and fires in some equipment after hackers allegedly manipulated temperatures remotely, BBC reported.
In a news conference on Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the attack was conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, BBC reported.
The attack was "unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression", adding that the country would "implement sanctions at the European level against all those responsible for this attack."
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Last month, a cyberattack on French supermarket chain Intermarché disrupted refrigeration and freezing systems at around 150 stores, resulting in food spoilage and fires in some equipment, reports said.
Intermarché's parent group Les Mousquetaires said the attack targeted the digital systems controlling store refrigeration units. Some refrigerators and freezers reportedly hit temperatures of up to 50°C (122°F) and remained at those levels for nearly six hours overnight. The soaring temperature spoiled large quantities of fresh and frozen food, forcing impacted stores to discard inventory to prevent potential health risks. Intermarché CEO Thierry Cotillard told BFM TV that this "unprecedented" attack could cost tens of millions of euros nationwide in just one day.
Following the October incident, a cyber-attack on refrigeration systems last week disrupted supermarkets across seven European countries, triggering food losses as freezers reportedly heated up to 50°C. The cyber-attack disrupted supermarket operations in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland. The breach reportedly caused refrigeration units to switch into defrost mode, sending temperatures soaring and forcing retailers to dispose of perishable food stocks.
Around 40 Delhaize supermarkets in Belgium and Luxembourg were affected, alongside a smaller number of stores operated by different retailers in the other countries, BBC earlier reported. CEO of Belgian refrigeration manufacturer Sabcobel Stephan Moelans confirmed the cyber-attack in remarks to news agency Belga on Monday. The company had been working through the night and into Monday morning to disconnect affected refrigeration units from the network, he said.
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