Hackers targeted refrigeration systems in several European countries and three French blood storage sites, causing food damage and attempting to alter blood product temperatures.
Hackers targeted three cold storage sites in France housing blood samples and plasma, according to the French Blood Establishment (EFS). The EFS stated the incident occurred overnight on Monday and involved a refrigeration service provider.
In the attack, temperature and defrosting thresholds were raised to "very high levels" at three cold stores stocking vital blood products, the EFS said. According to the French magazine Le Canard Enchaine, the cold stores, which contained blood samples and plasma bags for transfusions and medicine manufacturing, were programmed to reach 110°C instead of the required -30°C.
The EFS reported that "no health impact" was identified and "no loss of blood products" occurred because monitoring and alarm systems allowed technicians to intervene. The EFS stated that the affected products were moved to other sites or secured to prevent damage. France’s national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) and the health ministry have launched investigations into the incident.
The attack on French blood banks follows a series of cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems in supermarkets across Europe. In several countries, temperatures in refrigerators and freezers rose as high as 50C (122F), resulting in food damage estimated in the millions of euros.
Reports indicate the following regional impacts:
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and no motive has been identified. Rafe Pilling, the senior director for threat intelligence at the cybersecurity company Sophos, told the Guardian that the most plausible scenarios are a "state-based signalling and demonstration of capability" or a lone-wolf hacker.
In Italy, the government held emergency talks with intelligence officials on Tuesday. Thomas Regnier, an EU spokesperson, said the bloc’s agencies are holding discussions with national authorities to formulate a collective response, stating, “These are not isolated incidents and of course we have to be collectively resilient and prepared for such cyber incidents.”
Internet-connected commercial refrigeration systems can be monitored and controlled remotely, which can leave code open to hackers if vulnerabilities are not patched.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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