Blood Banks Targeted by Hacking Attempt to Hit 230 Degrees

Hackers attempted to push the temperature of medical plasma storage units to 230 degrees Fahrenheit, French authorities said. The cyberattack targeted refrigeration systems at three sites operated by the French Blood Establishment, or EFS.

Le Canard Enchaîné, the weekly newspaper that first broke the story, reported that the malicious actors tried to reset the cold storage temperatures. The normal operating temperature for these units is minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The attack sought to raise that figure to 230 degrees Fahrenheit, a level hot enough to spoil the contents.

The EFS confirmed that temperature and defrosting thresholds were raised to extremely high levels on Monday. Monitoring systems detected the anomaly quickly. Staff intervened before the heat could affect the inventory. The agency stated that no blood products or samples were compromised by the incident.

The affected inventory included bags of plasma intended for patient transfusions and plasma used in medicine manufacturing. The EFS said these products were either transferred to secure locations or stabilized. The organization added that no health consequences were identified and no stock was lost.

The attack was directed at Coolworld, a supplier of refrigeration equipment. Coolworld stated that it is aware of the incident. The company noted that the vulnerability relates to a component from a third-party supplier that was outside its direct control. It said only a limited number of units were affected and that it is taking appropriate measures.

Blood collection and distribution operations have remained uninterrupted. The EFS is continuing to provide services to hospitals and other healthcare facilities in France. The national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are currently investigating the breach.

This incident follows a similar wave of attacks on refrigeration systems earlier this week. Supermarkets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands reported that their fridges and freezers warmed up after being remotely hijacked. Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize expects the disruption to reduce its fourth-quarter sales by up to 250 million euros. CEO Franz Muller said the company is working to fully restore normal operations.