Plasma Storage: French Blood Banks Fend Off Temperature Spike

French authorities confirmed that a cyberattack attempted to drive the temperature of plasma storage units to dangerous levels at three sites of the French Blood Establishment, or EFS. The intrusion targeted refrigeration equipment, seeking to raise internal temperatures from a standard minus 22 Fahrenheit to as high as 230 Fahrenheit. Monitoring systems flagged the anomaly immediately, allowing staff to intervene before the heat compromised the stored plasma or blood samples.

The incident occurred on Monday, just days after a similar wave of attacks disrupted supermarket cold storage across Europe. In mid-October, hackers remotely controlled freezers at hundreds of stores in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, causing massive food spoilage. That earlier episode forced Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize to take systems offline, including websites and apps for its European and U.S. brands, to limit the damage.

EFS stated that the products stored in the affected units included plasma bags for transfusions and plasma used for medicine manufacturing. The organization said all items were either transferred to safe storage or secured on site. It reported no health consequences for patients and no loss of blood products, with collection and distribution operations continuing without interruption for hospitals and healthcare facilities.

The refrigeration equipment supplier, Coolworld, acknowledged the incident in a statement released late Tuesday. The company attributed the vulnerability to a component from a third-party supplier that fell outside its direct control. Coolworld noted that only a limited number of units were affected and said it is taking appropriate measures to address the issue.

France’s national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are currently investigating the breach. The Health Ministry has not identified a specific group behind the attack. Le Canard Enchaîné, a French weekly newspaper, first reported the cyberattack details, specifying the extreme temperature targets used by the attackers.

The financial impact of the earlier supermarket hacks is becoming clearer as companies report quarterly results. Ahold Delhaize CEO Franz Muller stated that the cyberattack is expected to reduce fourth-quarter sales by up to $281 million. He added that operating income for the period would decline by more than $112 million. Muller noted that while most disruptions were contained within two weeks, the company is still working to fully restore normal operations.

The sequence of events highlights a specific risk in critical infrastructure where remote access to physical controls can threaten essential supplies. French health officials maintain that the latest attack did not disrupt the supply chain, but the investigation continues to determine the scope of the vulnerability in third-party hardware.