A close up of the hands of a nurse from the French Blood Establishment holding a blood collection tube intended to receive blood samples during a plasma donation session at the Maison du Don in Saint Brieuc Cotes d Armor Brittany France on July 28, 2026.
Helene Rigny | Afp | Getty Images
French blood banks were on Monday hit by a new wave of cybersecurity attacks on European refrigeration systems, the French Blood Establishment confirmed on Wednesday.
The organization said that while it was not a direct target of the attack, cold storage units operated by an external provider containing EFS blood products were compromised at the three sites, with hackers increasing the temperature.
“In particular, the temperature and defrost thresholds are set to very high levels,” EFS said in a statement translated from French to English by CNBC.
“This cold storage unit – located at the EFS preparation and distribution site – is used to store blood products before they are sent to health facilities, as well as samples intended for the EFS biobank.”
They also store frozen plasma that is used for transfusions to make medicinal products.
EFS said the surveillance system was triggered quickly, and depending on the situation, the affected equipment could be controlled without affecting the product or sample, or taken offline. No samples or blood products were lost during the raid, with samples quickly transferred to other facilities, EFS added.
The EFS is now coordinating with the French National Agency for Cyber Security (ANSSI) and the Ministry of Health and increasing monitoring of the equipment.
Hundreds of supermarkets in France and other European countries, including Belgium, Sweden and Finland, have had their fridges remotely hacked and temperatures rise, causing millions of euros worth of food to be damaged.
“Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) were affected by a cybersecurity incident affecting the monitoring and control system of certain cold storage rooms,”
The situation is now under control and closely monitored, the French Health Ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters. He added that the safety of the blood supply is maintained “thanks to the facility’s monitoring and alarm system, as well as immediate preventive measures.”