Cyberattack targets blood refrigerators in France as hackers try to set temperature to 110 degrees Celsius

Refrigeration systems used by France’s National Blood Service have been targeted in a cyberattack, putting the storage of blood samples and transfusion products at risk.

The incident occurred overnight between Sunday, November 1, and Monday, November 2. The target was Coolworld, the company responsible for maintaining the refrigerated containers used by the French Blood Establishment (EFS), including facilities in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

French media report that hackers altered the temperature control settings. The equipment, which normally operates at -30 degrees Celsius, was reprogrammed to reach up to 110 degrees Celsius.

A technician on duty overnight noticed an unusual rise in temperature in the refrigerated storage areas and raised the alarm. The problem was identified in time, preventing any disruption to the service’s operations. Authorities initially said the affected equipment held blood donor samples used for transfusion-related health monitoring.

The French Blood Establishment later confirmed that frozen plasma intended for transfusions to patients was also stored in these facilities. Its presence makes the incident particularly concerning: blood products require strictly controlled temperatures, and a break in the cold chain can compromise their safety and usability.

The French Ministry of Health said the anomalies were detected in time and the incident had no operational impact.

However, it has not been confirmed that the temperature inside the refrigerators or of the blood products actually reached 110 degrees Celsius. The information released indicates that the settings in the electronic control system were changed, not necessarily that the measured temperature in the storage areas reached that level. Neither the number of units affected nor the duration of the intrusion has been disclosed.

The incident follows a series of cyberattacks on supermarket refrigerators in France and other European countries. In those cases, hackers’ changes to temperature settings led to food losses and considerable financial damage. This time, the target was the storage of blood products used by the healthcare system.

The perpetrators have not been identified, and there is no evidence that they are the same people who tampered with supermarket refrigerators. The incident adds to concerns about the security of internet-connected systems, particularly when they control equipment vital to hospitals and health services.