A cyberattack on Coolworld, a contractor that maintains refrigerated containers used by France’s national blood service (EFS), reportedly altered the settings of cold rooms from −30°C to 110°C, according to Le Canard enchaîné. The breach took place during the night of November 1 to 2, 2026, and affected facilities including some in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
A technician on call noticed the unexpected temperature rise overnight. France’s health ministry said the incident was detected in time and had no consequences for the transfusion chain or patients. EFS president Frédéric Pacoud also told BFMTV that the safety of blood products had not been compromised.
The cold rooms held plasma intended for transfusions as well as samples used for health monitoring. Pacoud said the incident could have resulted in the loss of samples or plasma supplies for patients had it not been caught.
The attack follows a series of disruptions affecting refrigerated facilities. On the night of October 11 to 12, cyberattacks affected hundreds of supermarkets in France, where rising temperatures led some stores to discard fresh and frozen goods. On November 2, incidents were also reported at 15 Carrefour stores in Belgium, 13 SuperValu supermarkets in Ireland and shops in Sweden.
Refrigeration systems can be monitored and adjusted remotely through computer systems. The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI warned on October 12 about attacks on refrigeration controllers and later expanded its alert to equipment from Danfoss, Copeland and Dixell. Its recommendations included removing management interfaces directly accessible online, securing remote access, checking settings and installing available updates.
There is currently no evidence establishing that the attacks on the EFS contractor and retail refrigeration systems were carried out by the same actors. Available information also does not specify whether the affected cold rooms used equipment covered by ANSSI’s alert.
Sources: Numerama.