Hackers Hit French Blood Banks, Alter Freezer Temps to 110°C

An unusual cyberattack in France raised fears of damage to national blood stocks after hackers took control of cooling systems used by the French Blood Service (EFS) and changed temperature settings from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 110 degrees Celsius. The attack took place overnight between November 1 and 2.

The attackers breached systems belonging to Coolworld, a company that supplies refrigeration equipment and maintenance services to medical facilities. Among the installations affected were units in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. According to a report on the Cyberattaque website, based on coverage in the French newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, an on-call technician from the company noticed the unusual change during the night and alerted the relevant authorities.

Following the alert, teams were able to respond quickly and prevent any impact on medical operations. Initial concern focused on blood samples from donors, which are stored for safety testing. The French Blood Service later confirmed that frozen plasma intended for blood transfusions was also involved in the incident.

The French Health Ministry said the disruption was detected in time and caused no operational consequences. No destruction of plasma units, cancellation of transfusions, or harm to patients was reported. However, it remains unclear how many cooling units were affected and what temperature the medical products reached.

The unusual figure of 110 degrees refers to the setting entered into the control system, not necessarily the temperature the freezers or plasma units themselves reached.

The incident comes against the backdrop of previous attacks on industrial cooling systems. France's cyber agency CERT-FR issued a warning in October about breaches of control systems made by refrigeration manufacturers including Danfoss, Copeland, and Dixell, and recommended blocking direct internet access to management systems.

At this stage, it is still unclear who is behind the series of attacks on refrigeration systems in France and across Europe, but it is now evident that a serial attacker is at work.