French blood banks targeted by refrigerator cyberattack

Blood banks in France were included among cyberattacks that hit refrigeration systems in several European countries on Sunday and Monday, French authorities said on Wednesday.

The French Blood Establishment (EFS) said that a "cybersecurity incident "targeted a refrigeration service provider affecting control systems at three cold storage sites for plasma and blood samples.

The cyberattack attempted to raise temperatures to extremely high levels but it was warded off before any damage could be done. The plasma in the affected refrigerators was transferred or secured, the EFS said.

"No health consequences have been identified, and no blood products were lost," the EFS said in a statement, adding that its distribution operations were not interrupted. 

Hackers try and make blood boil

The cyberattack was first reported on Wednesday by the French weekly newspaper Le Canard Enchaine, which said the temperatures had been programmed to reach a boiling 110 C (230 F), rather than -30 Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit).

"Monitoring and alarm systems quickly detected the anomalies, allowing staff to take action to ensure that no blood products or samples were compromised," the EFS said.

France's cybersecurity agency and Health Ministry said an investigation is underway, but did not indicate who could have been responsible.

The Health Ministry said Wednesday that remote access to the affected refrigerators was disabled, and credited monitoring and alarm systems with ensuring the safety of blood supplies.

Coolworld, the company supplying the refrigeration equipment, said the vulnerability was related to a component from a "third-party supplier and was outside Coolworld's direct control."

European supermarkets targeted by cyberattacks

On Sunday and Monday, a cyberattack targeted refrigeration systems at supermarkets in several European countries, including France and Germany, destroying large quantities of frozen food.

It was reminiscent of a similar attack three weeks ago targeting refrigeration systems at dozens of French supermarkets.

The attacks have cost supermarkets millions of euros in wasted food. 

On Wednesday, Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize said it expects the cyberattack in October to reduce quarterly sales by as much as €250 million ($281 million).

"While most of the disruption was contained within two weeks, work continues to fully restore our normal operations," CEO Franz Muller said.