New cyberattack targets French blood banks, health ministry says

Several regional blood banks were hit by a cyberattack on November 2, the French health ministry said on Wednesday, but there was no damage to blood products stored in the centres. The incident follows attacks that forced stores in eight European countries to throw away vast quantities of food after hackers tampered with their fridges on Monday, mirroring hacks that swept dozens of supermarkets in France three weeks ago. “Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) were affected by a cybersecurity incident that impacted certain cold storage room monitoring and control systems,” the ministry’s statement said. “The situation is now under control and is being closely monitored … The safety of the blood supplies was preserved thanks to the facilities’ monitoring and alarm systems, as well as precautionary measures immediately implemented.” Investigations are under way to assess the modus operandi and circumstances of the incident and equipment potentially affected as well as the conditions and timeline for a safe return to service.