Cyber-attack on French supermarket freezers has geopolitical context

‘Not particularly complex’ defrosting hack has been attributed to Iran, with presumption it is linked to others across Europe

Iranian hackers like to send a message.

In 2023 a state-backed group interrupted TV streaming services in the United Arab Emirates to broadcast a deepfake report on the war in Gaza. In the same year, hackers affiliated with Iran displayed the slogan “down with Israel” on the screens of water-control equipment made by an Israeli firm.

Now France has attributed an attack on supermarket fridges to hackers operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a key branch of Iran’s military establishment.