Cyberattacks Target French Blood Banks After Supermarket Hacks
Hackers changed refrigeration settings at three storage sites run by France's national blood service, the EFS, overnight Nov. 1-2. Staff detected rising temperatures before any products were damaged.
-30 C was the normal setting; attackers set units to 110 C.
The breach hit Coolworld, an equipment contractor, not the EFS itself.
Stored products were moved to other facilities as a precaution.
The Health Ministry said the incident had no operational consequences.
Why it matters: Hospitals use frozen plasma to treat patients losing large amounts of blood. The attack shows how internet-connected cooling equipment can expose critical medical supplies.
700 of France's 10,000 supermarkets were hit in an earlier attack, the finance minister said.
6 more countries saw supermarket fridge tampering on Nov. 2.
What’s next: ANSSI is investigating and updating a security alert first published Oct. 12. The alert names Danfoss, Copeland and Dixell remote controllers.
An EFS spokesperson said the agency has strengthened temperature monitoring of all its refrigeration equipment.
Who carried out the attacks, and what was the motive?
Are the blood-storage and supermarket incidents connected?
Did the Coolworld breach use the same method as the supermarket intrusions?
