Blood supplies targeted in chilling cyber attack as hackers attempt to raise storage temperatures to 110C

French blood storage facilities have been targeted in a chilling cyber attack in which hackers allegedly attempted to raise refrigeration temperatures to 110C, threatening supplies used in lifesaving medical treatment.

The incident, which took place on Monday, November 2, affected refrigeration equipment serving three facilities operated by the French Blood Establishment (EFS).

The attackers reportedly tried to manipulate settings on systems keeping blood products and biological samples at temperatures as low as minus 30C.

France’s Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that security measures had prevented damage, with monitoring alarms detecting the unusual activity before staff intervened.

The EFS said no blood supplies were lost and patients were not affected.

“No health consequences have been identified and no blood products were lost,” the organisation said.

The affected facilities store vital medical materials, including plasma used in transfusions, before distribution to healthcare providers. Any significant temperature increase could compromise their safety and potentially render supplies unusable.

The attack reportedly exploited a refrigeration equipment supplier responsible for systems at the three sites, rather than directly penetrating the blood service’s own computer network. It nevertheless exposed critical healthcare infrastructure’s vulnerability to attacks through third-party technology providers.

Following the incident, the EFS secured the affected supplies and disabled external access to the equipment while investigations began. Blood collection and distribution services continued without interruption.

The Health Ministry said the integrity of the supplies had been maintained through monitoring and precautionary measures.

“The safety of the blood supplies was preserved thanks to the facilities’ monitoring and alarm systems, as well as precautionary measures immediately implemented,” it said.

France’s national cybersecurity agency and health authorities are examining how the intrusion was carried out, which equipment was affected and when compromised systems can safely return to operation. Officials said the situation was under control but remained under close surveillance.

The attack comes amid growing concern over attempts to disrupt essential infrastructure through connected industrial equipment. Supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe were also targeted in a series of cyber incidents, reportedly forcing retailers in eight countries to discard substantial quantities of chilled and frozen food.

The incidents involved hackers interfering with temperature controls, raising questions about the security of equipment increasingly connected to remote monitoring and management systems.

The latest attack also follows a separate wave of cyber incidents affecting dozens of supermarkets across France about three weeks earlier.

The timing has raised concerns about whether a broader campaign is under way against critical supply chains. But authorities have not established any connection between the supermarket attacks and the intrusion affecting the blood storage facilities.

Nor have investigators identified those responsible or established their motive.

The potential consequences, however, underline the stakes. While the security systems prevented any loss of blood products in this case, the attempted manipulation of storage temperatures demonstrates how a cyber intrusion into seemingly mundane industrial equipment could put essential medical supplies at risk.

For healthcare providers, the episode is a warning that protecting patient safety increasingly depends not only on securing hospital networks and medical records, but also on the refrigeration systems and external suppliers on which vital treatment depends.