French blood banks have been targeted by a cyberattack that attempted to destroy blood plasma by raising temperatures in cold storage facilities past the boiling point. The attack, which occurred on Sunday and Monday, affected refrigeration systems in several European countries, including France and Germany.

According to the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the “cybersecurity incident” targeted a refrigeration service provider, impacting control systems at three cold storage sites for plasma and blood samples. The hackers attempted to raise temperatures to an extremely high level of 110°C (230°F), instead of the required -30°C (-22°F).

Fortunately, monitoring and alarm systems quickly detected the anomalies, allowing staff to take action and prevent any damage to the blood products or samples. The EFS stated that no health consequences have been identified and no blood products were lost. The affected plasma was either transferred or secured, and the distribution operations were not interrupted.

The French cybersecurity agency and Health Ministry have launched an investigation into the incident but have not indicated who might be responsible. The Health Ministry confirmed that remote access to the affected refrigerators was disabled following the attack.

Coolworld, the company that supplied the refrigeration equipment, attributed the vulnerability to a component from a third-party supplier, which was outside their direct control.

This attack on French blood banks comes amidst a series of similar cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems at supermarkets in several European countries. These attacks have destroyed large quantities of frozen food, costing supermarkets millions of euros in losses. Dutch supermarket chain Ahold Delhaize expects the cyberattack in October to reduce their quarterly sales by as much as €250 million ($281 million).

As investigations continue and work is underway to fully restore normal operations, the cyberattacks on refrigeration systems across Europe highlight the growing threat of cybersecurity incidents targeting critical infrastructure and the potential impact on public health and the food supply chain.