French blood fridges hit by cyber-attacks
French blood storage impacted by freezer hacks as theories swirl about culprits
Thursday, 5 November 2026
Photo by Léonard Cotte on Unsplash
Warm-up
- Which systems are most critical to keep online in your city?
- What signs tell you a website or device may be unsafe?
- Should companies report cyber-attacks immediately? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
- hack
- An attack that breaks into a computer system without permission.
- culprit
- A person or group believed to be responsible for a problem or crime.
- honeypot
- A fake system set up to attract hackers so experts can study them.
- decoy
- Something that looks real but is used to trick and draw in attackers.
- co-ordinate
- To organise actions so they happen together effectively.
- intervene
- To step in and take action to prevent harm or change a result.
- probe
- To test or examine something carefully to find weaknesses or information.
- attribution
- The act of naming who carried out an attack or action.
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishFrance’s Blood Establishment (EFS) said hackers had targeted cold rooms for donated blood and tried to raise their temperatures. Staff intervened quickly, and EFS reported no health impact or loss of blood. Until then, only supermarkets were known to be hit.
Online, Noname057(16) and the Z‑Pentest Alliance claimed they hacked Danfoss, a maker of freezer controllers, leading some to call them the culprits. Analysts doubt the link, and say Russian or Iranian hacktivists, state actors, or even teenagers could be responsible.
To study the attacks, three cyber‑security firms deployed honeypots — decoy freezer software — to watch how intruders probe systems. Sekoia noted similar scanning, but said it might be automatic. Its report to clients said the pattern aligned with Russian “hybrid warfare”, yet also pointed to Iranian‑aligned actors and cited about 40 Israeli supermarkets hit in 2022. It also noted US military base freezers were forced into defrost in late August, though models are unconfirmed and investigations are ongoing.
Ryan Dewhurst of Previdian said simultaneous, overnight temperature changes showed the attack was planned and co‑ordinated, using weak entry points already known online. Authorities are investigating, but no formal attribution has been made.
Comprehension
- What did EFS say hackers tried to do to its blood storage?
- How did staff respond, and what was the result?
- Which groups claimed online that they hacked Danfoss?
- How did researchers safely observe the attackers’ methods?
- What did Ryan Dewhurst conclude about the nature of the attacks?
Grammar focus
Past perfect continuous
Use had been + verb-ing to show an action in progress up to an earlier past point. Common cues: before + past event, by then, until then, for + time, since + point. (Examples constructed.)
- By then, attackers had been scanning European systems for days.
- Before staff intervened, hackers had been trying to raise temperatures.
Practise this grammar: Past perfect continuous (B2) · Narrative tenses (B2)
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the past perfect continuous form.
- By then, attackers (probe) ___ weak points for days.
- Before staff acted, intruders (target) ___ freezers.
- Until then, firms (watch) ___ honeypots for days.
- By the time alerts came, bots (probe) ___ traps for days.
- Before the response, groups (plan) ___ attacks for some time.
Discussion
- Should firms name suspects before formal attribution? Why or why not?
- Who should secure critical equipment like medical fridges?
- Are honeypots an ethical and effective defence tool? Explain.
- Which basic settings make internet‑linked devices harder to hack?
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