France summons Iran ambassador after vowing to 'punish' fridge hackers

France summons Iran ambassador after vowing to 'punish' fridge hackers

France has blamed Iran for the wave of cyber attacks that hit supermarkets across the country in October

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France has vowed to “punish” those responsible for a wave of cyber attacks that hit supermarkets across the country in October.

Hackers gained control of the software that regulated the temperatures of commercial fridges and freezers in hundreds of retailers last month, forcing some units to warm to 50C overnight.

The attacks spoiled fresh and frozen food estimated to be worth millions of euros.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Monday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was responsible for the attack – a claim Tehran denies and dubbed “baseless and hostile”.

On Tuesday morning, France’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had summoned Iran’s ambassador following the accusation.

Speaking to local reporters, Mr Barrot said France would push for EU sanctions in response to what he called an "attack of unprecedented scale and aggression in our country".

He warned that France could respond with further action that would not be disclosed.

“We will take whatever measures are necessary, including some that we will not discuss publicly, if we judge them proportionate and necessary to deter any new attacks and punish those responsible for this unacceptable aggression,” Mr Barrot said on France Info television.

In brief

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? France has vowed to “punish” those responsible for a wave of cyber attacks that hit supermarkets across the country in October. On Tuesday morning, France’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had summoned Iran’s ambassador following the accusation. “We will take whatever measures are necessary, including some that we will not discuss publicly, if we judge them proportionate and necessary to deter any new attacks and punish those responsible for this unacceptable aggression,” Mr Barrot said on France Info television.

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