French Blood Banks Turned Up to ‘Very High’: Hackers Heat Up Cold Stores

Hackers infiltrated the control systems of France’s national blood service, pushing the temperature thresholds at three cold‑storage facilities into the “very high” zone.

The change effectively turned the chill rooms into makeshift saunas, triggering alarms and forcing staff to scramble for a cooler solution.

The incident appears to be part of a broader wave of cyber‑attacks on supermarket refrigerators across Europe, highlighting that hackers are now targeting any appliance that keeps things cold.

France’s national blood service issued a brief statement confirming the breach and warning that the temperature rise could affect the viability of stored blood, while teams work to assess which units remain safe for transfusion.

The episode underscores the growing need for stronger cyber‑security on medical‑grade refrigeration, even if it means keeping the hackers out of the freezer.