Blood banks face cyber attack after mystery bomb hoaxes ground flights across Europe

Blood supplies remained safe

France’s health ministry said the cyberattack affected blood banks on Monday. It said monitoring and alarm systems, along with immediate precautions, protected the blood supply. The ministry said the situation was under control and being closely monitored. Investigations into the incident and potentially affected equipment were underway, as officials considered when services could safely return. The bank said the incident had been contained, operations were resuming and authorities had been alerted.

Supermarket fridges were targeted

The blood-bank incident followed attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in eight European countries on Monday. Hackers altered fridge settings, causing stores to discard large quantities of food. Some thermostats were remotely raised to 50C (122F), while other units were switched to defrost mode, reaching 15C instead of minus 22C. Hundreds of shops were targeted, with millions of euros’ worth of fresh and frozen food spoiled. The report also said similar hacks affected dozens of supermarkets in France three weeks earlier.

Bomb threats disrupted flights

On Tuesday, bomb hoaxes across Europe caused major flight disruption and led to an airport closure in Poland. At least seven flights faced bomb threats, prompting diversions and temporary airport closures.

Hundreds of passengers were aboard diverted flights. The disruption raised concerns about how easily agitators could cause widespread effects. A statement said police and intelligence agencies work daily to assess and respond to potential threats.