Blood banks hit by cyber attack a day after mystery bomb hoaxes ground flights across Europe

Blood banks hit by cyber attack a day after mystery bomb hoaxes ground flights across Europe The incident in France comes soon after cyber attacks on supermarket fridges forced them to throw away food - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Blood banks in France were hit by a cyberattack the French health ministry has said, the latest in a series of online hoaxes and cyber attacks across Europe. The incident follows attacks that forced stores in eight European countries to throw away vast quantities of food after hackers tampered with their fridges on Monday, mirroring hacks that swept dozens of supermarkets in France three weeks ago. But there was no damage to blood products stored in the centres. "Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) were affected by a cybersecurity incident that impacted certain cold storage room monitoring and control systems," the ministry's statement said about the attack on Monday. "The situation is now under control and is being closely monitored ... The safety of the blood supplies was preserved thanks to the facilities’ monitoring and alarm systems, as well as precautionary measures immediately implemented." Investigations into the incident and equipment potentially affected are underway as authorities look at a timeline for a safe return to service for the bloodbanks. On Wednesday, French cooperative bank Credit Mutuel Arkea said it had been hit by a cyberattack which "enabled fraudulent transactions to be carried out" - but that no money belonging to clients had been affected. The bank said the incident has been contained and operations are resuming now, adding that the authorities were alerted to the incident. More follows on this breaking news story... Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments