technology ·
French blood banks face cyberattack, no blood damaged
4 (UPI) -- France's national blood service suffered a cyberattack on its refrigeration systems, in an apparent escalation of attacks on European refrigerators and freezers.
The French blood service EFS said the temperature thresholds were raised "to very high levels" in the attack, but no blood or blood products were ruined, thanks to alarm systems. Products stored in the affected rooms were moved to other sites.
The EFS collects, tests, prepares and distributes products such as blood, plasma and platelets to more than 1,900 hospitals in France. It supports more than a million patients per year.
The attack mirrors those on grocery stores in 12 countries recently that caused millions of euros in food loss. Some systems' temperatures were raised to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. On Monday, systems in Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden reported issues, and on Tuesday, retailers in Italy, Germany, Romania and Britain were targeted.
