Blood banks hit by cyberattack in France days after European freezer hacks - CBS News

The French Blood Establishment (EFS) confirmed that temperature and defrosting thresholds were raised to extremely high levels at three of its cold-storage sites for plasma on Monday. Monitoring systems quickly detected the problem, allowing staff to take action before any blood products or samples were compromised.

According to French weekly newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, which first reported the attack, hackers attempted to reset temperatures from the normal minus 22 Fahrenheit (minus 30 Celsius) to as high as 230 F (110 C). The attack targeted a supplier of refrigeration equipment at three EFS sites.

Blood products secured

The blood bank stated that no health consequences have been identified and no blood products were lost. The products stored included bags of plasma intended for transfusions and plasma used to manufacture medicines, all of which were either transferred or secured.

Blood collection and distribution operations remain uninterrupted, ensuring continued services for patients at hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The EFS emphasized that the cyberattack did not affect their ability to provide blood products.

Coolworld responds

The company supplying the refrigeration equipment, Coolworld, acknowledged the cybersecurity incident in a statement. They explained that the vulnerability relates to a component from a third-party supplier and was outside their direct control.

The vulnerability currently being reported in the media relates to a component from a third-party supplier and was outside Coolworld's direct control.

European pattern of attacks

This week's cyberattacks on refrigeration systems mirror an incident in mid-October that targeted fridges and freezers at hundreds of supermarkets across France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize reported the attack could reduce its fourth-quarter sales by as much as $281 million.

Ahold Delhaize CEO Franz Muller stated that while most disruption was contained within two weeks, work continues to fully restore normal operations. He emphasized that cyber threats are 'an increasingly harsh reality of doing business today.'

France's national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are investigating the blood bank incident, though the ministry gave no indication of who might be behind the cyberattack. The attacks have renewed wider concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the growing risks of internet-connected consumer 'smart' technology.