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Hackers target French blood banks in latest cyberattack plaguing Europe
Hackers targeted monitoring and control systems at three regional French blood banks, raising the temperature and defrost settings of cold storage rooms. The incident is part of a wider series of cyberattacks in Europe, highlighting risks to services that depend on digitally controlled equipment.
The French Blood Establishment said staff moved the supplies after alerts, and no blood products were lost or affected. The stored products included plasma for transfusions and for medicines; the hacking group and source of the attack remain unidentified. Separately, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre said a small number of meat-processing suppliers may have been affected by cyberattacks.
In short
- Three French regional blood banks were targeted.
- Staff moved supplies and no products were lost.
- Investigators have not identified who was behind the attack.
Explained simply
Blood banks collect and store donated blood and plasma, which are used for transfusions and to make some medicines. These products need to be kept at controlled temperatures, so staff monitor the equipment that stores them.
The French Blood Establishment oversees the country’s blood supply, while regional centres handle collection and storage. Many essential services now rely on computer systems to monitor and control equipment, so a cyberattack can create risks even if the attackers do not access the stored products.
Similar attacks have raised concerns about the security of essential services across Europe, including suppliers to food-processing businesses. Disruptions could affect the handling of supplies that hospitals and other organisations depend on.
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