Supermarket cyberattacks turn the heat up in France
Hackers set their sights on an unusual target in France this week: supermarkets. On Monday, attackers used remote software to raise the temperature on fridges and freezers to around 122 degrees Fahrenheit, spoiling food and sparking fires. While the full scale of the attack remains unconfirmed, individual chains’ reports suggest that 400 of the country’s 15,000 supermarkets were affected. Two supermarkets in northeastern France reported combined losses of around $300,000, suggesting that total losses could be well into the millions. Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in older software from engineering firm Danfoss, which said it had previously advised supermarkets that those systems could not receive security updates. The attack comes just a month after French President Emmanuel Macron said he was working on a plan to protect critical French infrastructure from increasingly advanced cyberattacks.
Fresh Hormuz heat puts Trump in a bind
Iran has struck at least 24 vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz over the past two weeks, in the most dangerous period for Hormuz shipping since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. The uptick comes after Gulf oil exports had gradually recovered to near pre-war levels in September due to increased pipeline use, US weakening of Iran’s coastal weaponry, and a complex relay system using smaller boats to transit the Strait. Analysts say the increased strikes may reflect improved Iranian capabilities, as well a move to re-establish leverage over the critical waterway. If so, US President Donald Trump is in a bind. Ahead of the midterms he wants to bring down fuel prices that have soared due to the conflicts in Iran and, to a lesser extent, Ukraine. But the Iran war itself is unpopular – Moody’s estimates it has cost each US household $2,000 – making any escalation against Tehran now a political liability.
Former DRC president to lead rebel alliance
Former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila was named the leader of a new rebel alliance on Monday that includes the Rwanda-backed M23 – an armed group occupying much of eastern Congo. The new Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) wants to overthrow the Congolese government led by President Felix Tshisekedi, who is currently trying to amend constitutional term limits and retain power beyond the end of his term in 2028. The announcement signals a fracture in the landmark US-brokered peace deal between Rwanda and the DRC last year, which sought to end a decades-long conflict between the M23 and the Congolese forces. Kabila, who was sentenced to death by a Congolese military court in absentia last year for supporting M23 rebels – an accusation he denied – served as president of the DRC from 2001 to 2019, after losing office to Tshisekedi in a disputed election.
