French blood storage facilities targeted in cyberattack: Report

A cyberattack targeted cold storage facilities used by France's national blood service, with hackers programming units containing blood samples to reach temperatures of 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Fahrenheit), French weekly Le Canard enchaine reported Tuesday.

The attack occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday and targeted Coolworld, a company responsible for maintaining storage containers for the French Blood Establishment (EFS), including in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region, according to the report.

The storage units, normally maintained at minus 30 degrees Celsius to preserve donor blood samples, were reportedly reprogrammed to reach 110 degrees Celsius.

The EFS said an on-duty technician detected a rise in temperatures at the facilities overnight, allowing the incident to be identified.

France's Health Ministry said the incident had caused no operational consequences because the situation was detected.

The EFS initially said the affected samples were stored as part of a health monitoring system related to blood transfusions.