European Cold Chain: French Blood Service Confirms Cyber Intrusion at Three Sites

French blood banks face a new digital threat as a coordinated hacking campaign targets refrigeration systems across the continent. The French Blood Establishment, or EFS, confirmed on Wednesday that it was affected by the intrusion, though the organization stated it was not the primary target of the attackers.

The incident involves cold storage units managed by outside providers at three EFS sites. These facilities store blood products awaiting delivery to hospitals, biobank samples, and frozen plasma used in medical treatments. The EFS noted that temperature and defrost thresholds were manually set to excessively high levels by the intruders.

The attack is part of a wider European campaign that has impacted hundreds of supermarkets in France, Belgium, Sweden, and Finland. In the retail sector, hackers remotely adjusted store refrigerators, causing food spoilage and financial losses estimated in the millions of euros. This expansion into medical facilities raises questions about the security of internet-connected industrial cooling equipment.

The timeline of the response began when EFS surveillance systems detected the anomaly. The organization acted quickly to contain the breach. In some cases, equipment was brought back under control without affecting the contents. In other instances, units were disconnected entirely as a precaution.

The EFS reported that no blood products or samples were lost during the incident. Staff moved affected samples to other facilities immediately to ensure safety. The organization is currently working with the French National Cybersecurity Agency, known as ANSSI, and the Ministry of Health to monitor the situation.

The Ministry of Health stated that the situation is under control and under close observation. Officials attributed the preservation of blood supply safety to existing monitoring and alarm systems, as well as the immediate precautionary measures taken by facility staff.

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the group behind the attacks. The EFS has stepped up its monitoring of equipment to prevent further disruptions to the national blood supply.