French officials accuse Iran of hacking refrigerators across the country

French officials have accused Iran of being responsible for cyberattacks that knocked out commercial refrigerators and freezers across France last month, saying it would have consequences for them.

The hacking attacks that hit hundreds of French supermarkets in early October were among the most devastating since the war in Iran began in February, a conflict that has been marked by numerous cases of alleged disruption of digital systems. They included hacking attacks on the Los Angeles transit system in March and on U.S. water treatment plants in July.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to the French Foreign Ministry. Barro also threatened further EU sanctions against Iran.

The impact of the October 11 hacks was palpable. Some refrigerators had temperatures so high that they caught fire. Supermarket employees threw away boxes of spoiled meat and melted ice cream. One French supermarket owner estimated the total cost of the attack could reach tens of millions of euros across the country.

This month, French hacking was followed by a second wave, affecting more than 100 businesses across Europe and even refrigerators used by French blood banks, forcing employees to move some of the blood to other cells.