Key facts
- EFS said temperature and defrosting thresholds at three facilities were set extremely high.
- Staff moved plasma for transfusion and pharmaceutical manufacturing to other locations or took safety measures after alarms sounded.
- A November 2 cyberattack on a refrigeration supplier changed temperature and defrost levels at three facilities used by France's national blood service, threatening stored blood products.
- France's national cybersecurity authority and the health ministry are investigating the attack.
On Nov. 2, a cyber attack on a refrigeration supplier altered temperature and defrost settings at three refrigeration sites serving France’s national blood service, pushing units normally kept at minus 30 degrees up to 110 degrees Celsius and threatening stored blood products, according to AFP and Le Canard enchaîné.…
The French health ministry said on Nov. 2 that regional blood centers faced a cyber attack and that stored blood products were not damaged. EFS said blood collection and supply continue without disruption, and the service has identified no health impact or blood product losses.…
Staff moved plasma for transfusion and pharmaceutical manufacturing to other locations or took safety measures after alarms sounded, according to EFS. Monitoring and alarm systems detected the temperature change quickly, letting staff repair affected equipment or move products to other refrigeration facilities. Staff transferred or secured plasma bags for transfusions and plasma for medicine manufacturing to prevent damage. The response prevented product loss.…
EFS spokesperson Charlie Dubois said staff remain on site around the clock because blood can be needed at any time. “Blood can be needed at any time, so staff are on site around the clock.” The affected facilities hold blood products awaiting hospital distribution, along with biological samples maintained by EFS. EFS oversees blood collection, processing and distribution throughout France.…
EFS was not directly targeted; its refrigeration supplier was targeted instead, according to a statement published on Nov. 3. EFS has not identified the refrigeration supplier affected by the cyber attack. The blood service said temperature and defrosting thresholds at three facilities were set extremely high. Both sources confirm the manipulation of temperature settings at the three sites involved in the Nov. 2 incident.…
A cybersecurity incident involving remote monitoring software affected some Coolworld Rentals refrigeration units, the company confirmed. Coolworld said attackers exploited a flaw in a third-party component the company does not directly control. The incident affected a limited number of its units, and it responded promptly with appropriate measures. Coolworld said it is assisting affected customers and declined to comment on individual cases.…
Attackers in a European wave of refrigeration cyber attacks remotely manipulated temperature settings or activated defrost functions that turned off cooling. In October, an estimated 250 to 350 French supermarkets including Intermarché, Carrefour Market, Monoprix, Leclerc, and Super U had refrigeration disrupted. Hackers compromised refrigeration controllers using older Danfoss software, remotely activated automatic defrosting, raised temperatures, and forced stores to discard fresh and frozen products.…
Danfoss AK-SM/AK-SC and Copeland/Dixell XWEB controllers, used for remote monitoring and management of cooling equipment, were targeted in those earlier attacks. In November, a second wave hit more than 115 stores in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Estonia.…
One Swedish supermarket’s system reportedly began generating heat, and another store reported temperatures changed to 50 degrees Celsius. Attackers shut some refrigeration systems down entirely and changed temperature settings remotely at others in the second wave.…
Sabcobel, a Belgian refrigeration company, said November attackers exploited the same vulnerability used in October’s French supermarket attacks. In October, a cyber attack raised refrigerator temperatures at hundreds of French supermarkets beyond 50 degrees. Similar damage occurred across about 10 European countries.…
Ahold Delhaize expects fourth-quarter sales to fall by up to 250 million euros due to refrigeration attack fallout, and operating profit to fall by up to 100 million euros. Frans Muller, the CEO, said operational disruptions ended within two weeks, though full normality requires more time.…
ANSSI, France’s national cybersecurity authority, and the health ministry are investigating the attack on the blood service. EFS technical teams are working with ANSSI and the Ministry of Health while strengthening monitoring of refrigeration equipment and temperatures. Thomas Renier, European Commission technology spokesperson, said the incidents cannot be viewed in isolation and the bloc must jointly prepare for cyber attacks.…
Some suggest the incidents may relate to hybrid warfare that has risen since the war in Ukraine. Successive refrigeration facility attacks have increased concerns about remote control system security.…
In 2025, CISA disclosed two vulnerabilities affecting Danfoss AK-SM 8xxA controllers, identified as CVE-2025-41450 and CVE-2025-41451. The flaws could let attackers bypass authentication, execute commands remotely, and potentially gain control of refrigeration equipment. Whether attackers exploited these vulnerabilities in the incidents remains unconfirmed.…
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