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France vows to deter cyber attacks with 'whatever measures necessary'

Independent • November 10, 2026

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France has summoned Iran 's ambassador after accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of orchestrating a major cyber attack on French supermarkets in October.

Hackers gained control of commercial refrigeration software, forcing temperature increases that spoiled millions of euros worth of food.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot vowed to punish those responsible by using “whatever means are necessary”.

Tehran has denied the allegations, describing them as “baseless and hostile”.

Barrot warned that France could take further undisclosed actions under its cyber defence doctrine to deter future attacks.

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

France Blames Iran for Cyberattack on Supermarket Refrigeration Systems On October 11-12, 2026, a cyberattack attributed to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted refrigeration systems at approximately 700 supermarkets across France, causing temperatures to rise to 50°C (122°F) and resulting in significant food spoilage and financial losses estimated in the tens of millions of euros. The attack was executed by the Shahid Kaveh cyber unit, which remotely manipulated the temperature controls of commercial refrigeration units. French authorities have opened a judicial investigation and are seeking international arrest warrants for the unit's leaders. In response to the attack, France has summoned the Iranian ambassador and announced plans to pursue European sanctions against those responsible. This incident marks the first large-scale cyber sabotage on French territory, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. The French government has stated that it will consider all necessary measures to deter future attacks. 55 sources 74

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