Cyberattack hits France's national blood service as hackers raise freezer temperatures

Amid a series of cyberattacks across Europe, hackers have now breached the control systems of France's national blood supply agency, the EFS. Through the attack, the temperature control systems of three cold stores used to preserve blood and blood components were altered. However, the agency's alarm system activated quickly, allowing technicians to act before the blood products were spoiled.

The EFS, France's national blood supply agency, disclosed the information on Wednesday (November 4). The agency said the attack took place on Monday night. The hackers raised the temperature and defrost limits of the cold stores to 'extremely high levels'. The affected cold stores were operated by an EFS contractor.

The EFS said important components, including bags of plasma stored in the affected cold stores, were moved to another location. These components are used in blood transfusions and in the manufacture of medicines.

France's national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, and the health ministry were informed of the matter. Monitoring of all equipment has also been stepped up.

The EFS runs France's public blood transfusion service. It collects, tests, prepares and supplies blood, plasma and platelets to more than 1,900 hospitals in the country. It serves more than one million patients every year.

Earlier, cyberattacks targeted the control systems of supermarket fridges and freezers in nearly a dozen European countries. Temperatures rose to as high as 50 degrees Celsius in various places and food products worth several million euros were spoiled. Such attacks were also reported in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden, alongside Italy, Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom.

Last month, hackers took control of the fridges of around 700 supermarkets in France. On Wednesday, a regional branch of the country's Credit Mutuel bank also reported being hit by a cyberattack.

European Union spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the incidents are not isolated. EU agencies are holding urgent discussions with authorities in different countries to counter such cyberattacks.

It is not yet confirmed who is behind the attacks. No group has claimed responsibility either. Experts, however, believe fears of state-sponsored sabotage cyberattacks in Europe have grown since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.