Bank assesses losses as investigators trace withdrawals
The bank, based in northwestern France, announced the service suspensions on Wednesday. It said it had contained the breach and was still determining how much money was involved, but that the incident would not threaten its financial soundness.
An expert cited by local media estimated that $133 million from the bank may have reached cryptocurrency accounts. The bank has not yet established the amount affected.
AFP reported that ZachXBT, an independent investigator who tracks funds on the blockchain, was the first to disclose the fraud publicly. He said the stolen money passed through multiple accounts at cryptocurrency exchanges.
According to The Economic Times, ZachXBT identified more than $106 million in suspicious withdrawals on November 2, 2026, before finding over $27 million more. Those additional withdrawals brought his suspected total above $133 million.
The same report described a separate analysis by blockchain analytics firm Bitquery, which traced approximately $108.8 million in USDC withdrawals involving Kraken, Crypto.com and OKX. Bitquery identified 178 transactions to 15 wallets during roughly 21 hours across November 1 and 2, 2026.
ZachXBT also said he was highly confident that North Korea's Lazarus Group was not behind the theft, The Economic Times reported. He based that assessment on differences in laundering behavior.
Blood products moved after temperature alerts
The blood storage attack occurred on Monday. The French Blood Establishment, known as EFS, said a monitoring system detected an abnormality as temperatures rose at three sites. Staff immediately moved the blood products, and the service said the attack caused no damage.
According to The Connexion, EFS said the incident involved a refrigeration equipment provider. Hackers changed the monitoring and control systems governing temperature and defrost settings at the facilities. EFS technical teams are working with France's cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, and the Ministry of Health.
EFS confirmed that temperatures reached a high threshold but did not provide an exact reading. Its press office told The Connexion it could not confirm the 110°C figure reported by Le Canard enchaîné.
Earlier attacks hit supermarket refrigeration
The French incidents follow cyberattacks on supermarkets elsewhere in Europe, where hackers increased refrigerator and freezer temperatures. Stores had to throw away food as a result.
In those earlier supermarket attacks, ANSSI found a vulnerability in software from a Danish company and contacted its publisher, according to a government source cited by France 3.
