France prepares response after Iranian cyberattack
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Matin
France is preparing retaliatory measures after attributing an attack on about 700 retail sites to a cyber unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the measures would be proportionate and necessary, according to Le Matin.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday that Paris could take measures, including undisclosed ones, against those responsible for the cyberattack attributed to Iran. He referred to actions deemed “proportionate and necessary” to deter further attacks and punish those responsible, according to his statements to FranceinfoTV.
France summoned Iran’s ambassador to the Quai d’Orsay on Tuesday, where a “stronger protest” was delivered, according to Jean-Noël Barrot. Tehran rejected the French accusations, with its Foreign Ministry describing them as unfounded and unilateral in a statement.
The attack, carried out during the night of 11 to 12 October against the refrigeration controllers of about 700 French retail sites, caused major losses of goods and at least 15 fires, according to C4, which coordinates several state services. Paris attributed it on Monday to a cyber unit linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Paris prosecutor’s office sought international arrest warrants for two officials of the Shahid Kaveh unit. Jean-Noël Barrot also said France wanted to secure new European sanctions against Tehran, notably entry bans into the European Union and asset freezes, a possibility the EU said it was ready to consider on Tuesday.
