Cyberattack hits French blood banks
Three blood banks have detected and reversed a potentially destructive temperature spike in their cold rooms, following a cyberattack that targeted a refrigeration equipment provider of the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the only civilian blood collection and transfusion organization in France.
Three blood banks have detected and reversed a potentially destructive temperature spike in their cold rooms, following a cyberattack that targeted a refrigeration equipment provider of the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the only civilian blood collection and transfusion organization in France.
Although the EFS was not directly targeted by this cybersecurity incident, anomalies were reported, resulting in changes to the operating parameters of cold rooms equipped with the provider’s solution.
Specifically, temperature and defrost thresholds were set to very high temperatures, the EFS stated on Tuesday.
Initial reports revealed that supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Estonia, and the Netherlands were affected.
Xavier Bellekens, CEO of cyber deception and threat intelligence firm Lupovis, said that, starting on October 20, the company observed authentication attempts targeting Danfoss AK-SM refrigeration controller sensors.
The products have been moved to other facilities, and blood collection and distribution are unaffected, the EFS concluded.
According to the EFS, the still unnamed equipment provider was victimized on November 2, 2026, when the latest wave of cyberattacks targeting refrigeration units in European supermarkets was coming to light .
The authentication attempts were coming from ASNs previously categorized as bullet-proof hosting and used by Russian adversaries, Bellekens told the outlet.
Monitoring of the operation and temperatures of all our equipment has been stepped up, the EFS concluded.
What happened
Three blood banks have detected and reversed a potentially destructive temperature spike in their cold rooms, following a cyberattack that targeted a refrigeration equipment provider of the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the only civilian blood collection and transfusion organization in France.
Although the EFS was not directly targeted by this cybersecurity incident, anomalies were reported, resulting in changes to the operating parameters of cold rooms equipped with the provider’s solution.
Specifically, temperature and defrost thresholds were set to very high temperatures, the EFS stated on Tuesday.
What changed
Initial reports revealed that supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Estonia, and the Netherlands were affected.
Xavier Bellekens, CEO of cyber deception and threat intelligence firm Lupovis, said that, starting on October 20, the company observed authentication attempts targeting Danfoss AK-SM refrigeration controller sensors.
Who is affected
The products have been moved to other facilities, and blood collection and distribution are unaffected, the EFS concluded.
According to the EFS, the still unnamed equipment provider was victimized on November 2, 2026, when the latest wave of cyberattacks targeting refrigeration units in European supermarkets was coming to light .
Technical details
The authentication attempts were coming from ASNs previously categorized as bullet-proof hosting and used by Russian adversaries, Bellekens told the outlet.
What security teams should do
Monitoring of the operation and temperatures of all our equipment has been stepped up, the EFS concluded.
Attribution
Help Net Security: Three blood banks have detected and reversed a potentially destructive temperature spike in their cold rooms, following a cyberattack that targeted a refrigeration equipment provider of the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the only civilian blood collection and transfusion organization in France.