Cyber attack on France's blood service refrigeration system, attempt to raise temperatures

France's national civil blood service, EFS, suffered a serious cyber attack on November 2. In this attack, hackers targeted the refrigeration systems used for the storage of blood and plasma and attempted to raise the freezer temperatures to very high levels. This incident posed a potential risk to the quality and safety of blood products.

In a statement released on Tuesday, November 3, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) stated that the attack targeted the monitoring and control systems of cold storage rooms operating across three different sites. These sites stored plasma and blood samples used for transfusions. EFS clarified that instead of attacking EFS directly, the hackers targeted the supplier providing their refrigeration equipment.

According to the EFS statement, "On November 2, 2026, a refrigeration equipment supplier of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) fell victim to a cyber security incident. As a result, the monitoring and control systems of cold storage rooms deployed at three EFS sites were affected." As a result of this attack, the operating parameters of the cold storage rooms were altered, and the temperature and defrosting limits were increased to very high levels.

According to a Business Insider report, hackers attempted to raise the temperature from -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) to 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Fahrenheit). However, this increase in temperature was immediately identified by EFS's monitoring and alarm systems. Consequently, timely measures were taken, and no blood samples or products were destroyed, nor was their quality affected.

The organisation further stated that products stored in all affected equipment, including plasma bags for transfusion and fractionation plasma bags for the production of medicines, were secured or transferred elsewhere. Necessary changes were made to maintain normalcy, and no health-related impact has been observed.

The refrigeration supplier company 'Coolworld' has also acknowledged the incident. However, the company clarified in its statement that the component which was faulty was provided by a third-party provider and was not under the direct control of Coolworld. The company stated that only a limited number of Coolworld units were affected and they took appropriate measures quickly.

This incident comes at a time when cyber attacks have also occurred on the refrigeration systems of several supermarkets in Europe. In countries such as Sweden, Belgium, and Estonia, the temperature of fridges and freezers in many stores was raised. A retailer in Sweden claimed via a Facebook post that the temperature there had been set to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. According to an NDTV report, this could be part of a widespread cyber attack campaign.