technology ·
What is Shahid Kaveh, the Iran cyberunit tied to France’s fridge hacking?
The alleged sabotage campaign last month hacked into refrigeration systems in hundreds of stores in France and remotely cranked up temperatures, spoiling millions of euros’ worth of food.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has called the attack “unprecedented in its level of aggression”. But in a statement on Tuesday, Iran denied any role in the cyberattacks. Here’s what we know about Shahid Kevah and its alleged involvement: French officials have accused the IRGC of orchestrating the October 11-12 cyberattack, which they say targeted 700 commercial sites across France.
In a statement, the Paris prosecutor’s office specifically blamed Shahid Kaveh, which it described as a “an offensive cyberunit” affiliated with the IRGC’s cyberelectronic command (CEC). A report published by France’s spy and cyberagencies also named three alleged perpetrators – Hamid Reza Lashgarian, who it described as the head of the CEC, and Mahdi Lashgarian and Reza Salarvand, who it identified as commanders in the Shahid Kaveh unit.
