Cyberattack disrupts French blood bank refrigeration sites

A cyberattack disrupted several French blood-bank cold-storage sites, but authorities said no blood products or samples were compromised. The French Blood Establishment (EFS) reported that temperature and defrosting thresholds were raised to extremely high levels on Monday at three plasma storage sites. Monitoring systems detected the issue promptly, allowing staff to intervene and prevent any damage to stored materials, the EFS said.

Le Canard Enchaîné had earlier reported the assault and that temperatures intended to stay around minus 30 Celsius could have been pushed as high as 110 C (230 F).

The breach affected a refrigeration equipment supplier, Coolworld, with the company stating the vulnerability being discussed in media reports related to a third-party component and outside Coolworld’s direct control. Only a limited number of units were affected, the supplier added, and it was taking appropriate measures. France’s national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are handling the investigation.

The incident follows a wave of similar disruption targeting refrigeration systems at European supermarkets and stores earlier in the month, where fridges and freezers were remotely manipulated and millions of euros of food were spoiled. While the broader supply chain disruptions were significant, the EFS stressed that hospital blood collection and distribution operations continued uninterrupted and no health consequences have been identified. The article notes that the attack targeted a third-party refrigeration component rather than the blood bank’s own systems.