By Basant El-Faramawy
French authorities said a cyberattack on several blood banks attempted to raise storage temperatures to dangerous levels but was stopped before any blood products were compromised.
Attack on Plasma Storage
The French Blood Establishment (EFS) reported that temperature and defrosting thresholds were raised to extremely high levels on Monday at three cold-storage sites for plasma. Monitoring systems detected the problem quickly, allowing staff to secure the products. No blood products or samples were compromised, and no health consequences have been identified.
Link to Supermarket Cyberattacks
The incident follows similar cyberattacks this week on refrigeration systems at supermarkets across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, which caused tons of spoiled food. Dutch chain Ahold Delhaize estimated the earlier attack could reduce fourth-quarter sales by up to 250 million euros.
Investigation Underway
The refrigeration equipment supplier, Coolworld, said the vulnerability involved a third-party component outside its direct control. France’s national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are investigating.
