A serious cyber incident has targeted blood storage infrastructure in France, exposing how fragile the protection of systems directly tied to public health remains. According to reports from French media, hackers interfered with the electronic controls of refrigerators and changed the temperature parameters to as high as 110 degrees Celsius.
The target: systems storing blood samples and plasma for transfusions
The attack was recorded during the night between November 1 and 2 and targeted the company Coolworld, which maintains the refrigerated containers used by the French Blood Institute, including facilities in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
It was initially reported that the affected premises stored blood donor samples for health monitoring. The French Blood Institute later confirmed that frozen plasma intended for transfusions was also stored there, making the incident even more sensitive.
Parameters were changed, but 110 degrees has not been confirmed as the actual temperature
According to the information published so far, the refrigeration equipment, which normally operates at around minus 30 degrees Celsius, was reprogrammed in the system to go up to 110 degrees Celsius.
However, it remains unclear whether that temperature was actually reached inside the refrigerators or whether it remained only as a commanded value in the electronic system. The difference between the set temperature and the temperature measured in the storage facilities is crucial to understanding the extent of the damage.
Discovery during the night avoided the worst consequences
The alarm was raised after a technician on night duty noticed an unusual rise in temperature in the refrigerated areas. The quick intervention made it possible to identify the problem before the situation spun out of control.
France’s Health Ministry has said the incident caused no operational consequences. However, the authorities have not made public full details on the number of devices affected and the duration of the intrusion, leaving room for further questions.
A warning sign for internet-connected healthcare systems
The case comes after similar attacks on refrigeration systems in supermarkets in France and other European countries, where changes to temperature parameters caused major material losses.
This time, according to the version published so far, the target was not a retail chain but the storage of blood products used in healthcare. So far, it is not known who was behind the attack, and there is no public evidence linking this case to previous episodes involving commercial refrigeration units.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the vulnerability of automated systems when they control equipment critical to life and health.
Beyond the reassuring statements from institutions, the case raises a larger question: how well protected are healthcare infrastructures in reality from cyber intrusions that can affect the treatment safety chain?