Foreign intelligence agencies and criminals are the biggest cybersecurity threat, according to a Dutch government study, published on 6 September: “The threat posed by these groups is large, and has grown in the past year.”
The Cyber Security Assessment is compiled by the Netherland’s Cyber Security Centre, part of the Ministry of Justice.
The report shows that well-organised criminals focus on the use of ransomware. “Professional criminals have evolved into advanced actors and implement long-term and high-quality operations.” The larger the hacked organisation, the bigger the ransom demands, the cybersecurity experts conclude. Regular backups and computer network segmentation help to reduce the impact of such attacks.
The second major cybersecurity menace is posed by state actors - digital espionage by foreign intelligence services. This is threatening the competitiveness of Dutch companies, the report states. In addition, foreign intelligence services are actively gathering political information, continuously attacking the government’s ICT infrastructure and services. “Political espionage is undermining politics and public administration, forming a threat to democracy.”
The Dutch Cyber Security Centre has created separate online dossiers on the main digital security threats:
- professional criminals;
- digital espionage;
- ransomware; and
- malware spread via advertising networks.
In a press release, the centre quotes Klaas Dijkhoff, State Secretary for Security and Justice, as saying that the threats are worrying. “Digital security is a prerequisite for the safe functioning of our society and important for confidence in the economy.”
More information:
Cyber Security Assessment Netherlands 2016 (PDF, in Dutch)
Dutch Parliament’s announcement of the assessment