French blood service hit by Europe-wide cyberattacks on refrigeration

The French Blood Establishment (EFS) confirmed on Tuesday that temperature controls were altered at three of its national blood service sites. The EFS stated that its own systems were not directly targeted, but attackers compromised a refrigeration supplier to tamper with cold-storage settings. The affected equipment was used to store blood samples and frozen plasma, including plasma intended for transfusion.

According to The Register, attackers changed cold-room temperature settings from -30°C to 110°C, though this does not necessarily mean the contents reached that temperature. The EFS reported that its monitoring and alarm systems allowed for the rapid identification of these anomalies. To prevent damage, equipment was either brought under control or neutralized, and products were preventively transferred to other facilities.

The EFS has notified the Ministry of Health and the cybersecurity agency, ANSSI. While the organization did not publicly name the supplier, The Record noted the incident occurred amid a wave of cyberattacks affecting refrigeration systems across Europe. No blood products or samples were compromised during the attempt.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Record, The Register, The Register Science, Le Monde English, Winnipeg Free Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.