Cyberattack targets French national blood service cold storage

Overnight from Sunday to Monday, November 2, 2026, hackers targeted the cold storage units of the French national blood service, EFS, by compromising the systems of their maintenance provider, Coolworld. The attackers manipulated temperature controls in several regional blood banks, attempting to raise settings to as high as 110 degrees Celsius, which would have destroyed the stored blood samples typically kept at minus 30 degrees.

Despite the severity of the intrusion, the French Health Ministry confirmed that no blood products were damaged. An on-duty technician detected the temperature spikes in time, triggering alarm systems that allowed staff to intervene. The ministry stated that the situation is currently under control and monitoring is ongoing to ensure the safety of the remaining supplies.

This incident mirrors a broader trend of cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure across Europe, including recent tampering with refrigeration systems in supermarkets across eight countries. Investigations are currently underway to determine the identity of the attackers, their methods, and the timeline for a full restoration of the affected systems to standard operations.