Belgium probes possible Iran link to fridge cyberattacks

France has formally blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for October cyberattacks that turned supermarket refrigerators into ovens. Tehran has dismissed the charge, calling it "baseless and hostile," according to the BBC. Belgium now says it is looking at a possible Iranian link too. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said his country's security services "speak of indications of possible links to known Iranian actors" in a similar attack on Belgian shops, and that the federal prosecutor's office is investigating, Belga reported. "There is no reason to panic, but we remain extremely vigilant," Quintin said.belgashare.be+1

Paris names an IRGC unit

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made the accusation on Monday, November 9. He called the attack "the first large-scale cyber-attack aimed at sabotage on our national territory" and promised sanctions against those responsible. France summoned Iran's ambassador on November 10 and said it would seek sanctions at the European level. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau opened an investigation into the leaders of Shahid Kaveh, an offensive cyber unit tied to the IRGC's Electronic and Cyber Center. Investigators cited traces of Farsi in the attack infrastructure and IP addresses linked to devices in Iran. A report from France's cybersecurity agency said hackers from two IRGC units, Shahid Kaveh and Shahid Shoostari, worked through front groups that posed as vigilante hackers.bbc.com+3

On the night of October 11 to 12, attackers changed defrost settings on refrigeration controllers at about 700 retail sites. Chains hit included Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Intermarché and Coopérative U. The changes spoiled food and caused at least 15 fires. French officials put losses in the tens of millions of euros. They linked the breaches to weaknesses in controllers made by Danfoss and Copeland.abcnews.com+1

Tehran pushes back

Iran's Foreign Ministry said it "categorically rejects the French government's baseless and one-sided accusations." It also condemned what it called a "hackneyed policy" of accusing the Islamic Republic. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi went further and mocked Paris as "unable to manage fridges". The French government has not said publicly how it concluded Iran was responsible, and cyberattacks are hard to attribute.amp.dw.com+2

A wider European problem

A second wave of attacks earlier this month hit more than 100 stores across Europe. The countries affected included Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands, and it is still unclear whether all the incidents are connected. On Wednesday, two hacktivist groups aligned with Russia claimed responsibility, but their claims have drawn little credibility, the trade publication added. In Belgium, many shops had to throw away tens of thousands of euros' worth of food. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on November 16 will be a chance to discuss the cyberattacks hitting Europe.acrjournal.uk+2