French authorities suspect that hackers linked to Iran are behind a massive cyber attack on refrigeration equipment across the country.
This was reported by Reuters, citing sources familiar with the investigation.
On the night of October 12, the attackers gained remote access to the control systems of refrigerators and freezers of hundreds of French supermarkets. They changed the temperature and defrost settings, resulting in food spoilage, equipment damage and millions of dollars in losses.
According to Le Monde, the attack hit more than 700 stores. In some cases, the temperature of cooling equipment rose to 50-80 degrees.
At the beginning of November came a new wave of attacks on the cooling systems of European organizations. Three facilities of the French blood service where plasma was stored were also damaged. The workers managed to prevent damage to the inventory.
The investigation shows that the attackers took advantage of vulnerabilities in the software of industrial refrigeration equipment, some of which had not received security updates for a long time.
According to Reuters, French investigators are looking into the possibility of the involvement of hackers working with the support of the Iranian state.
What is happening proves that cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure can cause significant economic damage without the use of conventional weapons. At the same time, not only energy networks and communication systems, but also industrial equipment connected to the Internet become objects of influence.
Iran's responsibility has not yet been proven.
"War Chronicle".