Hackers attacked a refrigeration equipment supplier, increasing the temperature of the French blood transfusion agency's product storage warehouse from -30°C to 110°C.

The French National Blood Transfusion Service (EFS) said their refrigerator system was also attacked by a cyber attack on November 2, causing temperatures to rise to "very high levels". According to Business Insider, hackers targeted three facilities in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, affecting equipment to preserve blood and plasma samples used for transfusion to patients. Hospitals often use frozen plasma for people who have hemorrhage or lost a lot of blood.

Cybersecurity News describes hackers attacking refrigeration equipment supplier Coolworld and increasing the temperature from -30°C to 110°C. Luckily, a staff member on duty discovered an unusually high temperature in the middle of the night, so the technical team promptly handled it before any blood samples or products were damaged.

Coolworld specializes in the delivery of temperature control equipment and maintenance services, including refrigerated containers used in medical facilities. The company confirmed the cybersecurity incident was related to remote monitoring software but only a small number of devices were affected. The supplier believes that the security vulnerability is related to a third-party software component, which is not under its direct control.

Risk depends on actual storage conditions and the length of time the product is exposed to outside temperatures. Fresh frozen plasma should be stored at -25°C or below. Prolonged high temperatures can make the supply no longer suitable for blood transfusion.

EFS shares products at facilities that have been transferred to other warehouses to prevent risks. They are also working closely with France's cybersecurity agency and the Ministry of Health to investigate the attack. An EFS spokesman said the agency has increased temperature monitoring of all refrigeration equipment as well as ensuring blood collection and distribution.

The overheating of plasma storage equipment is the latest incident in a wave of attacks targeting Internet-connected refrigeration systems. On November 1 and 2, hackers attacked a series of supermarkets in Europe, pushing refrigerator and freezer temperatures up to 50°C in stores in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden. As a result, some stores have to throw away a lot of food. In October, another attack also affected hundreds of French grocery stores, causing damage to many retailers.

Commercial refrigeration systems are connected to the Internet so engineers can remotely monitor and maintain them. The defrost setting, which is used to clear ice buildup, was taken over by hackers and pushed heat to dangerous levels. Many of the targeted systems were running outdated software, creating vulnerabilities for hackers.

According to PC Mag, organizations providing essential services are recommended to disable Internet access to critical systems to reduce the number of attack points that bad actors can exploit. Frank Groenewegen, cyber security expert at Deloitte in The Hague, urged retailers across Europe to test refrigeration systems and controls, identify vulnerabilities and upgrade security as soon as possible.

An Khang summary