Blood banks in France have been hit by horror cyber attacks just days after supermarket freezers across Europe also came under attack. The latest incident saw hackers target refrigeration systems at several facilities operated by the French Blood Establishment (EFS), where vital blood products and biological samples are kept in cold storage. The attackers reportedly attempted to raise temperatures from -30C to a staggering 110C, potentially putting supplies used for lifesaving medical treatment at risk. The attack took place on Monday (November 2), with France’s Health Ministry confirming on Wednesday (November 4) that security systems had prevented any damage.
Monitoring alarms detected unusual activity, allowing staff to intervene before blood products or samples were compromised.
The EFS confirmed that no blood supplies had been lost and that there had been no impact on patients.
The affected storage facilities are used to preserve blood products, including plasma intended for transfusions, before they are distributed to healthcare providers.
Following the incident, the organisation secured the affected supplies and disabled external access to its equipment as investigations got underway.
Authorities are now working to establish who was responsible, what motivated the attack and how many facilities were targeted.
The attack affected three EFS storage sites through a refrigeration equipment supplier, according to reports.
The EFS said: “No health consequences have been identified and no blood products were lost.”
Blood collection and distribution services have continued without interruption, while France’s national cybersecurity agency and Health Ministry investigate the incident.
The incident follows a series of similar attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe, which left retailers facing substantial losses after chilled and frozen food was spoiled.
However, authorities have not established whether the attacks on supermarkets and blood storage facilities are connected
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