Hackers Target French Blood Bank Cooling Systems in Cyberattack

Hackers have targeted the cooling systems of the French Blood Bank (EFS), altering temperatures in refrigerators storing blood for transfusion, according to a report by the French weekly Le Canard enchaîné. The attack, which occurred between November 1st and 2nd, saw temperature settings changed from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 110 degrees Celsius. While the attack was thwarted before significant damage occurred, thanks to an on-call technician who noticed the temperature rise, it highlights a growing threat to critical infrastructure.

This incident follows a series of recent cyberattacks on internet-connected refrigerators in supermarkets across Sweden and Belgium, belonging to chains like ICA, COOP, Spar, and Carrefour. These attacks caused food spoilage and losses amounting to millions of dollars. In response to these broader attacks, Israel's Cyber Directorate issued an alert to marketing networks, urging them to implement protective measures.

The French Ministry of Health stated that the blood bank incident had no practical consequences as the issue was identified. However, details regarding the number of facilities affected, the duration of temperature disruption, or the actual peak temperatures reached remain unclear. The reported target temperature of 110 degrees Celsius does not necessarily mean the freezers reached that extreme.

Omri Segev Moyal, CEO and Founder of Profero, explained that many smart controllers managing cooling systems in supermarkets, food warehouses, and medical facilities are exposed to the internet with open management interfaces, often using default manufacturer passwords. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in these controllers or gain access through maintenance providers with remote access to numerous facilities.

Moyal noted that Artificial Intelligence is lowering the barrier to entry for such attacks, enabling tools to automatically locate exposed controllers and implement changes across multiple locations simultaneously. He stressed that preventing such attacks is not complex but requires treating refrigerators as cyber assets. Recommendations include removing management interfaces from the internet, changing default passwords, enforcing VPN and two-factor authentication for remote access, and installing independent alerts for any temperature or setting changes. He emphasized that relying on luck, as in the French blood bank case where an on-call technician intervened, is not a viable strategy.