From CNBC · Sawdah Bhaimiya · · 1m 10s
Blood banks hit in European fridge cyberattacks
French blood banks targeted in wave of refrigeration hacks that raised storage temperatures dangerously high.
In brief
French blood banks targeted in wave of refrigeration hacks that raised storage temperatures dangerously high. Hackers remotely compromised blood storage fridges at French blood banks, raising temperatures, but no products were lost and no health impact occurred. Originally reported by CNBC.
Blood banks hacked across France
The French Blood Establishment confirmed Wednesday that cold storage units at three of its sites were remotely compromised on Monday. Hackers raised temperatures to excessively high levels.
“temperature and defrost thresholds were set to excessively high levels”
What the fridges stored
The compromised cold storage units held blood products awaiting delivery to healthcare facilities, biobank samples, and frozen plasma used for transfusions and manufacturing medicinal products.
No products lost, alarms worked
Surveillance systems detected the anomalies rapidly. Affected equipment was brought under control or taken offline with no impact on products or samples. No blood products were lost during the attack.
Part of wider European campaign
The blood bank attack is the latest in a wave of cyberattacks on European refrigeration systems. Hundreds of supermarket fridges across France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland were also hacked, spoiling millions of euros of food.
At a glance
Hackers remotely compromised blood storage fridges at French blood banks, raising temperatures, but no products were lost and no health impact occurred.
