Cyberattack targets refrigeration systems at three French blood banks

A cyberattack targeting the refrigeration systems at three regional sites of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) was thwarted before it could cause damage to medical supplies, French authorities said.

The Incident at EFS

The incident occurred overnight between Sunday and Monday, November 2, 2026. According to the EFS, the attack impacted certain cold storage room monitoring and control systems at three of its plasma cold-storage sites. The EFS stated that "temperature and defrosting thresholds were raised to extremely high levels" during the incident.

French weekly newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné reported that the attack attempted to reset temperatures that are normally maintained at minus 30 Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) to as high as 110 C (230 F). The EFS confirmed that the products stored at these sites included bags of plasma intended for transfusions and plasma used to manufacture medicines.

EFS spokesperson Charley Dubois told Reuters that staff working round the clock were warned about the problems by alerts and moved the blood to other refrigerators that were not connected to the compromised systems. The EFS stated, "Monitoring and alarm systems quickly detected the anomalies, allowing staff to take action to ensure that no blood products or samples were compromised." The organization added, "No health consequences have been identified, and no blood products were lost," and noted that blood collection and distribution operations remain uninterrupted.

Investigation and Third-Party Involvement

The French Health Ministry said on Wednesday that the situation is under control and that remote access to the affected refrigeration systems has been disabled. France’s national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, and the Health Ministry are currently investigating the incident to determine how the attack was carried out, which equipment was affected, and when the systems can safely return to service.

Coolworld, the company supplying the refrigeration equipment, said in a statement that it "is aware" of the cybersecurity incident. The company stated, "The vulnerability currently being reported in the media relates to a component from a third-party supplier and was outside Coolworld’s direct control." Coolworld added that only a limited number of units were affected and the company is taking "appropriate measures."

Context of European Cyberattacks

The attack on the EFS occurred during a period of increased cyber activity targeting refrigeration systems across Europe. This week, several European countries reported that supermarket fridges and freezers were remotely taken over, resulting in tons of spoiled food.

In one instance, the Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize said it expected the cyberattack to reduce its sales in the fourth quarter by as much as 250 million euros ($281 million) and reduce its operating income for the period by up to 100 million euros. CEO Franz Muller stated, "While most of the disruption was contained within two weeks, work continues to fully restore our normal operations."

Other reported impacts include:

• Approximately 40 Delhaize supermarkets were affected in Belgium and Luxembourg.
• Incidents were reported in Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland.

This follows a separate incident in mid-October where hackers allegedly manipulated refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, causing significant food losses and, in some cases, fires.

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Sources

• apnews.com: Cyberattack on French blood banks thwarted before damage, authorities say | AP News
• foxbusiness.com: France blood bank cyberattack hits cold storage refrigeration systems | Fox Business
• technology.org: Cyberattack Hits French Blood Bank Cold Storage
• securityaffairs.com: Cyberattack Hits French Blood Banks as Hackers Target Refrigeration Systems Across Europe
• tvpworld.com: French blood banks hit as hackers target refrigerators across Europe
• thenews.pk: Cyberattack targets French blood banks

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.