Blood Banks Avert Cyber Spoiling; Dutch Retailer Quantifies $281 Million Loss

The financial impact of the recent wave of cyberattacks on European cold storage has become clearer, with one major retailer projecting a $281 million sales decline while French blood banks reported successfully blocking a similar intrusion. The dual developments underscore the growing monetary risk posed to supply chains that rely on temperature-controlled logistics.

French authorities confirmed on Wednesday that hackers attempted to manipulate cold-storage systems at three plasma sites operated by the French Blood Establishment, or EFS. The attackers targeted the supplier of the refrigeration equipment, Coolworld, and tried to raise internal temperatures from the standard minus 22 Fahrenheit to as high as 230 Fahrenheit. According to Le Canard Enchaîné, which first reported the breach, the goal was to spoil the plasma intended for transfusions and medicine manufacturing. EFS monitoring systems detected the anomaly on Monday, allowing staff to intervene before any products were compromised.

The EFS stated that all affected plasma was secured or moved to safe storage, with no health consequences identified and no products lost. Blood collection and distribution operations have continued without interruption. Coolworld acknowledged the incident and attributed the vulnerability to a component from a third-party supplier. The company stated that only a limited number of units were affected and that it is taking measures to address the issue. France's national cybersecurity agency and the Health Ministry are currently investigating the breach, though the Health Ministry has not yet identified the perpetrators.

Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch supermarket chain hit by a similar attack in mid-October, released updated financial expectations on Wednesday. The company anticipates that the cyberattack will reduce its fourth-quarter sales by as much as $281 million, or 250 million euros. Operating income for the period is expected to drop by over $112 million, or roughly 100 million euros. Franz Muller, the CEO of Ahold Delhaize, noted in a release that while most disruptions were contained within two weeks, work continues to restore normal operations. He described cyber threats as an increasingly harsh reality in modern business.

The October attacks targeted freezers and refrigerators at hundreds of supermarkets and independent stores across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Those incidents resulted in tons of spoiled food and millions of dollars in losses. In response to the October breach, Ahold Delhaize took several systems offline, including websites and apps for its brands in Europe and the United States, to mitigate further risks. The company previously attributed the October incident to malicious actions by external parties.