In France, blood bank refrigerators were hit by cyberattacks — what is the status of the supplies
Kyiv • UNN
A cyberattack affected EFS refrigeration systems at three sites, but the blood supplies remained safe. The incident is linked to attacks on EU supermarkets.
The French blood service confirmed that its refrigeration equipment was hit by cyberattacks — simultaneously with attacks on refrigerators in supermarkets across the European Union. However, blood supplies were not affected, UNN reports, citing Politico.
Details
On Tuesday, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) reported that the monitoring and control systems for refrigeration chambers at three of the service’s facilities had been affected: temperature settings and defrosting modes were changed, causing the temperature to rise to "very high levels."
According to EFS, the service was not the direct target of the cyberattacks, and blood samples and blood products remained safe.
The incident is believed to be linked to a new wave of cyberattacks on refrigeration equipment in supermarkets across Europe, forcing stores to discard spoiled products. This wave occurred just a few weeks after French supermarkets were first hit by a cyberattack that also affected refrigeration units.
According to French media reports, the supplier of refrigeration equipment to EFS is Coolworld. In a statement, the company said it was aware of the incident and that it "concerns a component supplied by a third-party provider that is not under Coolworld’s direct control." It was also reported that only a "limited number" of the company’s units were affected.
During the attacks on supermarkets, the perpetrators interfered with the refrigerators’ defrosting settings, causing the temperature inside them to rise significantly — a situation identical to what occurred at EFS. The blood stored in the affected equipment, including plasma bags for transfusions, was "moved to other locations or securely protected," EFS said.
Anne Le Hénanff, responsible for digital affairs in the French government, said today in the Senate that the recent attacks on refrigeration equipment in the country "were directly aimed at our economy and supply chains."
"I would even say that, beyond this, their goal may be to undermine the unity of our country and spread anxiety among the population," she said.