Belgium announced on Thursday that Iran could be behind a wave of cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across the country earlier in the month. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin made the disclosure during a parliamentary session in Brussels.
,Quintin told lawmakers that intelligence gathered by Belgian security services pointed toward Tehran. He stopped short of issuing an official attribution for the digital intrusions, citing the need for diplomatic caution.
,"According to reliable evidence obtained by our agencies, Iran could potentially be behind the attacks on the refrigeration systems of several major retail chains, as was the case in France," Quintin stated to parliament.
,Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot had earlier remarked that making an official attribution for the cyberattack at that stage would be premature. The incidents on November 2 forced dozens of supermarkets throughout Belgium to deal with refrigeration failures, resulting in some retailers discarding spoiled food.
,The disruption in Belgium mirrored similar events reported by stores in Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. France experienced a comparable incident three weeks prior to the Belgian disruptions and subsequently blamed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
,Quintin characterised the cyber disruptions in Belgium as a deliberate act of destabilisation. The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office declined to release details regarding the ongoing inquiries.
,"The investigation is currently ongoing and is being treated as a matter of the highest priority," the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Officials added that it was not possible to comment on the nature, precise circumstances, or potential motives behind the incidents.
,France has urged the European Union to implement sanctions against Iran in response to the cyberattacks. European Union officials indicated that representatives from the bloc are working on a coordinated response.
