Now French blood banks are hit by hackers who tried to heat plasma stores in Europe's latest fridge cyber attack
Empty refrigerated counters at an Auchan supermarket in Olsztyn, Poland, where hackers drove supermarket refrigerators across at least 11 European countries to 50°C, destroying millions of euros of food.Hackers drove refrigeration systems at three French blood-storage sites to extreme temperatures overnight on Monday, with plasma supplies for more than 1,900 hospitals targeted, weeks after fridges across at least 11 European countries were pushed to 50°C.
Hackers breached the refrigeration control systems of supplier Coolworld at three French Blood Establishment plasma cold-storage sites in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté overnight on 1-2 November, programming freezers normally held at minus 30C to reach 110C. An on-call technician spotted the sabotage during the night, triggering a rapid response that secured all plasma stocks before any products were lost.
The targeted stores held bags of plasma for transfusions and plasma used to manufacture medicines — supplies serving over 1,900 French hospitals.
Russian hacktivist groups Noname057(16) and Z-Pentest Alliance claimed to have hacked refrigeration maker Danfoss, but analysts say Iranian hacktivists, nation-state actors or even teenagers could be behind the broader wave of attacks.
The blood bank hack follows a sweeping freezer cyberattack on supermarkets in up to ten European countries, where remotely cranked thermostats caused millions of euros of food damage.
