Why France accused Iran and its Shahid Kaveh cyber unit of being behind freezer hacks

France in no uncertain terms blamed Iran on Monday, November 9, for the cyberattack that targeted 700 refrigeration systems during the night of October 11-12. It was the first time the French government directly accused Tehran of a cyberattack and specifically named those it holds responsible: the cyber command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-CEC), the ideological and military arm of the regime, which France said ordered the attack, and the Shahid Kaveh unit, which it said carried it out. The French authorities went even further, naming individuals: the head of the IRGC-CEC and two Shahid Kaveh officials, against whom the Paris prosecutor's office has requested international arrest warrants.

This decision matched the scale of what French specialized services described as an "unprecedented attack in terms of its scale and level of aggression." The cyberattack, which mainly affected supermarkets but also hit a slaughterhouse, food processing plants and hydroelectric facilities, caused at least 15 fires, in addition to damaged food and psychological impacts on the population.