nuNov 4, 2026, 13:40

French blood banks hit by hackers who raised storage temperatures

French blood banks successfully averted potential damage to their supplies after hackers accessed cooling systems to raise temperatures at three storage locations. While the attack is being investigated alongside similar cooling system breaches at European supermarkets, authorities confirmed that no blood products were compromised.

French blood banks recently faced a cyberattack where hackers infiltrated the cooling systems at three storage facilities. The attackers remotely increased the storage temperatures, but the systems' alarm protocols triggered quickly, preventing any damage to the blood products. According to the French national blood bank, EFS, no plasma destined for transfusions or medication production was lost, and public health remains unaffected.

The breach appears to have targeted the third-party suppliers of the cooling units rather than the blood banks directly. This incident occurred simultaneously with widespread cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across several European countries, which resulted in significant food spoilage and millions of euros in damages for retailers like Ahold Delhaize. French authorities, including the national cybersecurity agency and the Ministry of Health, have launched an investigation into the attacks to determine if the cases are linked. At this stage, officials are working to confirm the identity of the cooling system providers involved in the security failure.

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Based on reporting by nu. Translated and condensed by LocalHeadlines.

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