Lucrezia Ciotti Following recent cyberattacks on European supermarket refrigeration systems, the healthcare sector is also being targeted by hackers . In France , an attack targeted cold storage units used to store donor blood and plasma, raising new concerns about the security of the cold chain. Authorities are reassuring: no health consequences have occurred, but the incident has refocused attention on the risks associated with the vulnerability of strategic infrastructure.
Hackers tamper with cold storage units storing donor blood, raising alarm in France.
From supermarkets to healthcare facilities, cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems are expanding into new strategic sectors. The latest incident involves France, where hackers successfully breached the control systems of cold storage units used to store blood and plasma for transfusions.
The intrusion affected three regional plants , causing an anomalous variation in temperatures: from the -30 degrees expected for the correct conservation of blood products, it apparently reached 110 degrees.
As reported by Ansa , the company involved was Coolworld , a supplier of refrigeration services for the Établissement français du sang, the national transfusion service.
The attack, which occurred last Monday, did not compromise the stockpiles or cause any consequences for public health. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist and the institute itself assured that no health damage had been reported . The EFS specified that " the safety of the stockpiles was maintained thanks to the facilities' monitoring and alarm systems, as well as the precautionary measures immediately implemented ."
Meanwhile, investigations have been launched to reconstruct the circumstances of the break-in and identify any potential perpetrators. The Italian National Blood Center has also alerted blood transfusion centers, urging them " to maintain the utmost vigilance, checking temperatures and adapting safety measures to prevent emerging risks ."
Europe on high alert after supermarket attacks: recommendations for protecting the cold chain
The French incident is part of a broader pattern of cyber attacks that have affected several European countries in recent weeks. Last month, hackers in France successfully hacked the refrigeration systems of around 700 supermarkets , while on Wednesday, a regional branch of Crédit Mutuel confirmed it had been hacked. Similar incidents have also been reported in Italy , with businesses in Sicily, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna affected.
Federconsumatori, while acknowledging the reassurances, urges consumers not to underestimate the situation: " We must not let our guard down ." The association emphasizes that the nature of attacks could evolve and that any anomalies in product storage must be promptly identified. Among the measures recommended for distribution, logistics, and refrigeration operators are verifying the exposure of control systems to the internet, separating company networks, using VPNs and multi-factor authentication for remote access, and replacing devices that are no longer supported. It is also essential to provide independent temperature measurement tools , alarms for exceeding critical thresholds, and ongoing recording, without relying solely on digital systems connected to the internet. Federconsumatori also suggests using time-temperature indicators on some sample products, labels capable of irreversibly changing color when a certain temperature limit is exceeded.
On the investigation front , a claim of responsibility has appeared on the dark web attributed to the pro-Russian groups Noname057(16) and Z-Pentest , who allegedly threatened new attacks against aqueducts, power plants, industrial plants and food warehouses.