Authored by Victoria Friedman via The Epoch Times,
A cyberattack against the refrigerator systems of France's public blood service was thwarted on Monday, officials have said, the incident coming after supermarkets across Europe reported that their cooling equipment was targeted by hackers.
The French Blood Establishment (EFS) said in a Nov. 3 statement that one of its refrigeration equipment suppliers had been targeted, resulting in temperatures being forced to rise in the cold storage rooms at three of its sites.
"The EFS's monitoring and alarm systems enabled the rapid identification of these anomalies and the implementation of necessary measures to ensure that no blood samples or products were compromised," the statement said.
It said that affected equipment was brought under control and that no blood products or samples were impacted or ruined.
It added that blood products, including plasma needed for transfusion, which had been stored in these rooms, were transferred to other facilities as a precaution.
Service to patients was not interrupted by the incident, the EFS said.
The EFS stressed that it was not targeted itself, but rather the equipment supplier was.
The organization stores blood products, including plasma, in its preparation and distribution sites before they are sent on to hospitals and other kinds of healthcare facilities. It also keeps blood samples for its biobanks.
France's National Cybersec
