Blood banks in France were caught in the midst of cyber attacks that impacted cold storage systems in several European countries on Sunday and Monday. French officials announced that a "cyber incident" targeted a cold storage service provider, affecting control systems in three cold storage centers for plasma and blood samples.
Details of the Cyber Attack
The cyber attack attempted to raise temperatures to very high levels, but was neutralized before any damage could occur. The French Blood Establishment (EFS) stated that plasma in the affected refrigerators has been transferred or secured to other locations. According to EFS, no health consequences have been identified and no blood products have been lost. Additionally, the distribution operations of this entity have continued uninterrupted.
Preventive Measures and Ongoing Investigation
The French Cybersecurity Agency and the Ministry of Health announced that an investigation is underway, but provided no indication of who might be responsible for the attack. The Ministry of Health also stated that remote access to the affected refrigerators has been cut off and that monitoring and alert systems have been credited with ensuring blood supply safety.
Coolworld, the cold storage equipment supplier, stated that the vulnerability was related to a component from a "third-party supplier" and was outside of Coolworld's direct control.
Cyber Attacks on Supermarkets in Europe
On Sunday and Monday, a cyber attack targeted cold storage systems in supermarkets across several European countries, including France and Germany, resulting in the loss of large quantities of frozen food. This attack recalls a similar incident three weeks ago that affected cold storage systems in dozens of French supermarkets. These attacks have caused supermarkets to lose millions of euros due to food waste.
On Wednesday, the Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize announced that the cyber attack in October is expected to reduce seasonal sales by 250 million euros ($281 million). Franz Muller, the company's CEO, stated: "While most disruptions were contained within two weeks, work continues to fully restore normal operations."
