French Blood Banks Harden Defenses After Cyber Chill Incident
Hackers attempted to spike refrigeration temperatures at three facilities, but monitoring systems prevented loss of plasma and other products.
By Riya Zhao ·
Three French blood banks faced a cyber attack that pushed refrigeration units toward extremely high temperatures, according to authorities. The French Blood Establishment, known as EFS, reported the incident on 4 November. The attack targeted a service provider for the organization rather than EFS itself.
The intruders adjusted temperature and defrost settings to very high thresholds. EFS stated that monitoring and alarm systems detected the changes quickly. Staff responded in time to secure or move all blood products and samples to other facilities as a precaution. No blood products were lost, and the organization reported no identified health consequences.
The affected equipment held bags of plasma intended for transfusions and plasma used in the manufacture of medicines. EFS declined to disclose the actual temperatures reached in the compromised units. It said a limited number of its sites were affected and that further technical details from the provider are needed to establish the full extent of the damage.
EFS has since strengthened checks on the operation and temperatures of all its refrigeration equipment. The organization said blood collection and distribution activities are continuing. Teams are working with the French National Cybersecurity Agency, ANSSI, and the Ministry of Health. EFS reported no identified effect on the safety of stored products.
The organization could not yet comment on the origin of the cyber incident or identify those responsible. This event follows similar cyber incidents affecting Britain's meat processing industry and supermarkets in European countries. Those retailers reported that remotely compromised fridges and freezers warmed up, spoiling food worth millions of dollars.
The attack also follows a warning issued on 3 November by Britain's National Cyber Security Centre. The NCSC, part of GCHQ, said artificial intelligence is helping attackers operate on an industrial scale. The agency assessed that AI is highly likely to be used in attacks against Britain's critical national infrastructure by 2028.
The NCSC separately described China as the UK's most sophisticated and sustained cyber challenge. It said China is likely to use AI to advance its geopolitical objectives within the same period.
