Three blood banks in France have their freezers hacked

Hackers have launched a cyberattack on the refrigeration systems of three regional blood banks in France, affecting temperature monitoring and control systems in cold rooms used to store blood. However, the country's health ministry said the incident did not disrupt blood supplies.

The attack took place overnight between Sunday and Monday, according to a Reuters report. At the same time, hackers also attacked supermarket refrigerators in various European countries from Sweden to Belgium.

The French Health Ministry said in a statement that several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the country's blood bank operator, were hit by a cybersecurity incident that affected the monitoring and control systems of some cold rooms.

EFS spokesman Charlie Dubois said the blood supply was not affected. Staff were alerted to the problem through various alerts. The blood in the affected freezer was later moved to another safe freezer.

The health ministry said the situation was under control by Wednesday. Remote access to the affected refrigerators has been disabled. An investigation is underway to determine how the attack was carried out, which equipment was affected and when it can be safely restored.

Earlier, at the same time, hackers interfered with the refrigerators of supermarkets in eight European countries, forcing traders to waste a huge amount of food. Last month, hundreds of supermarkets in France also took control of the refrigeration units, setting fires and destroying food.

The series of attacks in Europe has raised concerns about the security of internet-connected infrastructure. Such vulnerabilities have come into the spotlight, particularly in the context of heightened security tensions in Europe following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.