Fridge hacks also hit French blood banks

France's blood collection service informed that its refrigerators were targeted by cyberattacks alongside supermarket fridges throughout the EU. However, the blood supplies remained unaffected. The French Blood Establishment disclosed on Tuesday that control systems for cold storage rooms at three of its sites had been compromised, with temperature and defrosting thresholds escalated to "very high levels."

The EFS clarified that it was not the direct target of the cyberattacks, and no blood samples or products were compromised. This incident appears to be linked to a recent surge of cyberattacks on supermarket refrigerators across Europe, which compelled stores to discard spoiled food. This wave of attacks followed French supermarkets being hit by a cyberattack earlier this year, which also affected refrigerators.

According to French media reports, the refrigeration company Coolworld supplies EFS. Coolworld confirmed it is aware of the incident but stated that it concerns a component supplied by a third-party provider, not directly controlled by Coolworld. Only a "limited number" of its units were affected. The refrigerator defrost settings were manipulated in the supermarket attacks so the coolers reached excessively high temperatures, similar to the EFS's experiences.

The blood stored in the affected equipment, including plasma bags for transfusions, has been transferred or secured. French digital minister Anne Le Hénanff commented on the attacks in the country's Senate today, stating that they "have directly targeted our economy and our supply chain." She added, "Beyond that, their objective may potentially be to undermine the unity of our country and to create anxiety among the population." Emile Marzolf contributed to this report.