Hacker Warmed French Plasma Freezers to 230 Degrees, Banks Report

A cyberattack attempted to turn cold storage units into ovens at three French blood banks on Monday, raising plasma temperatures from minus 30 Celsius to 110 Celsius. French authorities confirmed the intrusion was stopped before any stored medical products were damaged. Officials stated that no health consequences were identified and no blood inventory was lost.

The French Blood Establishment, or EFS, issued a detailed report late Tuesday about the incident. The attack targeted a supplier of refrigeration equipment serving three specific cold storage sites. During the breach, temperature and defrosting thresholds were pushed to extreme levels. Monitoring systems detected the anomalies quickly, allowing staff to act immediately to protect the stock. Le Canard Enchaîné, a French weekly newspaper that first broke the news, provided the specific temperature data. The affected units normally operate at minus 22 Fahrenheit but spiked to 230 Fahrenheit during the attack.

The affected units held bags of plasma intended for patient transfusions and plasma used to manufacture medicines. The EFS said these products were moved to secure locations or locked in place to prevent spoilage. Blood collection and distribution operations have continued without interruption. Hospitals and healthcare facilities continue to receive their necessary supplies.

Coolworld, the refrigeration company involved, acknowledged the incident in its own release. The company explained that the vulnerability involved a component from a third party supplier outside its direct control. It determined that only a limited number of units were affected and is currently taking measures to fix the issue. France’s national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are investigating the attack.

This event follows similar attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe earlier this week. Fridges and freezers in several countries warmed up after being remotely taken over. This resulted in tons of spoiled food and costs totaling millions of dollars. The pattern mirrors an episode in mid October that hit hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch supermarket chain affected by the earlier October incident, updated its financial expectations on Wednesday. The company expects the cyberattack to reduce its fourth quarter sales by up to 250 million euros. Operating income for the period is also expected to drop by up to 100 million euros. Franz Muller, the CEO of Ahold Delhaize, noted that while most disruption was contained within two weeks, work continues to restore normal operations.

Muller described cyber threats as a harsh reality of doing business in the current economic environment. The company previously attributed the earlier disruption to malicious actions by others. In response, it took some systems offline, including websites and applications for its brands in Europe and the United States. This precautionary measure was taken to limit further damage during the investigation.