France's blood bank hit by cyberattack

PARIS -- The cooling system of France's blood bank has been hit by a cyberattack, French blood bank authorities (EFS) said on Wednesday.

The refrigeration systems were manipulated remotely, causing operating temperatures to rise to very high levels, it said, adding the temperature change was detected quickly, and measures were taken to ensure that no samples or blood products had been affected.

Blood products and bio samples are kept in cooling units before being delivered to healthcare facilities.

Also on Wednesday, French banking group Credit Mutuel Arkea confirmed fraudulent transactions due to a cyberattack, but assured customers that the incident has stopped and their funds remain secure.

According to a company statement, the group temporarily suspended certain transactions as a precaution upon detecting the breach.

The cyberattacks came after similar attacks recently targeted fridges and freezers in supermarkets in some European countries.