Hackers target French blood banks in latest freezer attack, as UK cybersecurity chief warns of ‘sliding doors’ moment for ‘unprecedented’ threat
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- Hackers have attacked French blood stocks used in medical emergencies
- Attackers attempted to increase freezer temperature from -22°F to 230°F
- The attack was detected quickly and there was no need to destroy blood.
A few days ago, hackers attacked the freezers of European supermarkets for the second time in weeks, but not only frozen foods have been the target of these malicious operations. Now, threat actors have their eyes on the medical sector, and reports have emerged that French blood plasma reserves have been breached by unknown saboteurs.
As reported by Cyberattaque (via Cyber Security News), blood plasma stocks came under attack overnight between November 1 and 2, with freezer temperatures set to soar from -30°C to 110°C (-22°F to 230°F). Although it is unknown whether the freezers actually reached temperatures as high as that, the incident remains a worrying development in what appears to be an ongoing strategy against key infrastructure targets.
The campaign targeted Coolworld, which supplies the French Blood Establishment (EFS). The EFS is responsible for collecting, preparing and distributing blood and blood products in France, many of which are used in essential surgeries and medical operations. Cyberattaque noted that this meant that “frozen plasma for transfusions was among the products potentially at risk.”
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The French Health Ministry has said that the cyberattack did not have serious operational consequences because the temperature spikes were quickly detected and corrected. What is not known is how many facilities were affected, how long the outage lasted and how high the temperature of the freezers actually got. However, it has not been confirmed that it would have been necessary to destroy blood reserves as a result.
Long range effects
In October 2026, Vincent Strubel, director general of the French cybersecurity agency (known as ANSSI), issued a prescient warning that refrigeration facilities (including those that store medical resources) could be targeted by adversary attacks. Two weeks after that address, the blood stores were hacked.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Richard Horne, chief executive of the UK National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), warned yesterday that “too many of our organizations and supply chains are built on weak technological and operational foundations”. Potential targets include “electrical changes, gates at water facilities, dam operations, manufacturing lines, heating and cooling controls,” Horne said.
At the launch of the NCSC’s ‘State of the Cyber Nation’ report, Horne described the UK as being in a “Sliding Doors “moment” for cybersecurity, with its exploitable vulnerabilities similar to a digital “Leaning Tower of Pisa.” “In the coming months we face a real prospect of an unprecedented increase in the number of cyber incidents,” he warned.
As Cyberattaque noted, it was not the medical facilities themselves that were compromised, but the third-party maintenance systems that monitored freezer temperatures. This could have far-reaching effects, as any company providing monitoring products to different customers potentially puts them all at risk.
While the attack on French blood reserves was quickly detected, the next attack could slip through the net. If that happens, the outcome could be much more serious.
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