After cyberattacks targeting French supermarkets and subsequently spreading to other parts of Europe, a new incident has come to light involving blood storage facilities. On the night of Nov 1, a cyberattack reportedly targeted Coolworld, a refrigeration solutions and maintenance provider responsible for equipment used by the French Blood Establishment (EFS).
Late on Sunday night, continuing into Monday, Nov 2, an on-call technician reportedly noticed an abnormal rise in the temperature of the storage facilities. Upon checking the systems, the technician discovered that the computers controlling the refrigeration units had been reprogrammed, changing their temperature settings from the normal -30°C to 110°C.
According to reports, the incident initially involved blood samples stored as part of health-monitoring procedures related to blood transfusions. However, subsequent reports revealed that frozen plasma intended for patients had also been affected. France's Ministry of Health reportedly assured authorities that the incident would have no operational consequences, as the abnormal temperature changes were detected in time.
While the exact number of facilities affected and the duration of the attack have not been publicly established, the incident raises concerns about the security of medical cold-storage infrastructure.
Fresh frozen plasma intended for transfusion must be stored at temperatures of -25°C or below. Maintaining the cold chain is essential to preserving the quality and usability of blood products. Any temperature deviation must be assessed to determine whether the affected products remain suitable for medical use.
What happens if a cyberattack goes undetected because the temperature does not fluctuate as drastically? Several medical supplies, biological samples, medicines, and other temperature-sensitive products depend on uninterrupted refrigeration throughout their storage and supply chains. A less noticeable change in temperature could potentially go undetected for longer, creating risks for the integrity of these products.
This only further increases the concern of citizens around the world, as the alleged most equipped and proactive countries have not been able to save themselves from such a cyberattack. We must all ask our concerned suppliers and governments what proactive measures they are taking to prevent such situations for their citizens and customers
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