Cyberattack on French blood-storage systems contained before products were lost

A cyberattack targeted refrigeration control systems at three French blood-storage sites, but monitoring systems detected the problem before any blood products were compromised, French authorities said, according to DW, ABC News Australia and The Guardian. The affected facilities are operated by or connected to the French Blood Establishment, known as EFS. The organisation said the incident affected a refrigeration service provider and involved control systems for cold rooms containing plasma and blood samples.

The attackers attempted to drive temperatures to extremely high levels. DW, citing French reporting, said settings were programmed to reach 110C, while other accounts described the thresholds as being raised to “very high levels”. The reports differ on the precise temperature, but agree that staff intervened before the contents were damaged.

Alarms identified the abnormal readings, allowing workers to move or secure the plasma, blood products and samples. EFS said no blood products were lost, no health consequences had been identified and distribution operations were not interrupted. An EFS spokesperson told ABC that staff had been working around the clock and transferred supplies to refrigerators that were not connected to the affected systems.

France’s national cybersecurity agency and Health Ministry are investigating how the intrusion occurred, what equipment was affected and when the systems can safely return to service. Remote access to the affected refrigerators has been disabled, and the EFS said monitoring of its equipment had been strengthened. The refrigeration-equipment supplier Coolworld said the vulnerability involved a component supplied by a third party and was outside its direct control.

The Guardian reported that EFS said it was not directly targeted and that the attack struck cold-storage systems operated by contractors. The incident occurred alongside attacks on refrigeration systems at supermarkets across Europe. Retailers in several countries reported that freezer temperatures rose, causing large quantities of food to be discarded.

The attacks followed a similar incident in France three weeks earlier, when supermarkets were also affected. No motive has been established and no one has claimed responsibility. The Guardian reported that European Union agencies were holding discussions with national authorities, while some officials and security experts raised concerns about vulnerabilities in internet-connected infrastructure.

The reports also note that possible state involvement has been discussed, but no attribution has been made. For now, French authorities say the blood supply was protected. The immediate damage was prevented by alarms, staff intervention and the movement of products away from the compromised systems, while the wider investigation continues.