In France, hackers attacked the cold storage system of a blood bank on the night of 1 November. The attackers tried to increase the temperature of the freezer from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 110 degrees Celsius. However, the alarm system detected the disturbance in time. There was no harm to the blood and plasma samples. French weekly newspaper ‘Le Kanar Anchene’ was the first to report about this cyber attack on Wednesday. After this the matter came to light. According to the report, a default password was used to enter the blood storage system. Default password (pre-set password) is the password which is pre-set by the company in any machine, device or software. If the password of the machine is not changed after installation, hackers can try to enter the system with the same old password. Plasma was sent to a safe place. According to the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the organization that operates France’s blood bank, the plasma kept in the freezer has been safely sent to another place. EFS said the monitoring and alarm systems installed in the cold storage immediately detected the unusual change in temperature. This gave the employees a chance to take timely action. EFS is the government blood service of France. It collects, tests, prepares and delivers blood, plasma and platelets to more than 1,900 hospitals in the country. Internet-connected freezer control system breached: Special electronic controllers are installed in shops and cold storage centers to control the temperature of freezers. With their help the temperature can be monitored and controlled remotely. Some systems are connected to the Internet, so the equipment provider or technical staff can inspect and repair them from anywhere. France’s government cyber security agency CERT-FR had issued a warning on October 12 regarding attacks on refrigeration controllers. According to the agency, many controllers of these devices were directly available on the Internet. Some had security vulnerabilities such as outdated software and default passwords. 2 cases of freezer hacking in Europe This attack has happened at a time when freezer systems of supermarkets are also being targeted in many countries of Europe. In these attacks, hackers increased the temperature of the refrigeration system, causing large amounts of food items to spoil. First attack: 11 October Second attack: 1 November Suspicion of attack on Russia It is not yet clear who is behind these cyber attacks in Europe. However, doubts are being raised about the role of Russia-backed hacker groups. According to a November 5 report by Irish news website RTE, two pro-Russian hacker groups Noname057(16) and Z-Pentest Alliance claimed to have hacked Danfoss company’s technology. Danfoss manufactures refrigeration systems and temperature controlling equipment. The claims of hacker groups have raised questions about their possible role in these attacks. However, there has not yet been independent confirmation that these groups were behind the attacks on supermarkets and blood banks in France. European investigative agencies have also not held any country or organization responsible for these attacks. It is also not clear whether the attacks in different countries were part of the same campaign or whether different hacker groups were behind them.
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