France's national blood service experienced a cyberattack targeting three regional cold stores that stock vital blood products, including plasma and donated blood samples. The incident occurred between Sunday and Monday, November 2, as hackers accessed control systems to raise temperature and defrosting thresholds to very high levels.
Despite the attempt to raise storage temperatures to dangerous levels, no blood products were compromised. Authorities stated that the facilities' alarm systems functioned as intended, allowing technicians to intervene before any damage occurred.
This attack is seen as an escalation of a wider series of cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems across Europe. Similar incidents were recently reported by supermarkets in several European countries, where fridges and freezers were remotely taken over and warmed up. Additionally, the French cooperative bank Credit Mutuel Arkea was also affected by attacks on Wednesday.