France has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of a cyberattack that hit the refrigeration systems of about 700 supermarkets overnight on 12 October. The Paris prosecutor's office and foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the accusation.
Prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation and asked for international arrest warrants for three people: the head of the Iranian cyber unit "Shahid Kaveh" and his two deputies. The unit is linked to the IRGC's Cyber-Electronic Command.
Hackers took control of the devices that run the cooling systems in the stores. They set off unusual defrost cycles and switched off the high-temperature alarms. Prosecutors say the attacks caused large food losses and about 20 fires.
Prosecutors believe the method is typical of "Shahid Kaveh". The attackers used Persian, and the IP addresses point to devices in Iran.
Barrot called the attack an "unprecedented act of aggression". He named the IRGC as responsible and said European sanctions are expected. France has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Paris.
So far, the case has been investigated by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office, the Cybercrime Unit and the General Directorate for Internal Security. Investigating judges will now oversee it.