Hackers tried to "cook" plasma in France.
On the night of November 2, unknown persons hacked into the remote control systems of the refrigeration units in three regional warehouses of the French Blood Service (EFS). The target was not EFS itself, but its cooling contractor, Coolworld.
What is known:
The temperature threshold was raised to extreme values. According to the duck he continued, instead of the usual 30 degrees Celsius, 110 degrees Celsius were set.
Donor samples and frozen plasma were stored in the cells for infusion and drug production.
The alarm was activated and the technician on duty intervened in time. EFS reports that no blood products were lost and there were no health consequences.
No leaks of donor or patient data have been reported.
It's part of a bigger wave. Since October 12, more than 500 stores in France have been attacked in the same way, using refrigeration systems accessible to the Internet: temperatures rose to 50 degrees Celsius, there were fires and spoiled food.
According to Le Monde, in those cases the defrost cycle was extended so as not to trigger the alarm. It is not known who is behind the attacks. The investigation is underway.
Why is it important for pharma?
The cold chain now depends not only on the equipment, but also on who has remote access to it and how.
Questions to ask yourself and your contractors:
1. What cooling systems are available online?
2. Which contractors have remote access and how is it protected?
3. Is there an independent alarm that is not connected to the main control system?
4. Who is physically on duty at night?
In this case, it was the person with the alarm that worked. Neural networks will definitely not replace that.