Cyberattack sends French blood storage readings soaring to 110°C

The France Blood Service (EFS) confirmed a cyber-attack aimed at temperature-controlled refrigeration equipment supplied by Coolworld, a Dutch rental company operating in France among other countries. The incident, which involved remote monitoring software used in refrigeration systems, led to some refrigeration controllers in EFS cold storage rooms—reported in facilities in the Burgundy and Franche-Comté region—registering temperatures up to 110°C (230°F) overnight between 1 and 2 November.

Officials stressed that this did not mean blood samples or equipment were at that temperature, and an on-call technician detected the anomaly before any samples were compromised.

Coolworld said on 4 November that only a limited number of its units were affected and that the vulnerability was tied to a component supplied by a third-party provider, not directly controlled by Coolworld. The company added that it had responded promptly with appropriate measures and did not disclose further details. The French Ministry of Health told Le Canard enchaîné that there was no operational disruption to blood collection or processing because the issue was detected in time.

The EFS said it had notified the national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) and that, at the time of reporting, no EFS IT systems appeared to be impacted. The article notes that while the risk was to cooling equipment, there was no identified health safety impact on blood products.