Russian, Chinese Hackers Targeted Dutch Government

Russian and Chinese hackers targeted critical infrastructure in the Netherlands for strategic gains amid escalating tensions with Western governments, the Dutch intelligence agency said.

The Netherlands witnessed a number of “cyberespionage attempts against the Dutch government,” a report by the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service said.

Russian hackers, including state intelligence organizations, private companies and hacktivist groups, targeted Dutch critical infrastructure mainly for sabotage, the Dutch agency said.

These included a first-of-its-kind attack on a Dutch digital control system used at an unspecified public facility. The report said the impact of the attack was limited.

In addition to cyberattacks, Russian groups also engaged in disinformation campaigns during European elections last year. Hacktivist groups targeted Dutch political parties and public transport companies in an attempt to disrupt the electoral process.

Russian hacking attempts against the Netherlands were largely intended at undermining the country’s support for Ukraine and to weaken the NATO alliance, the agency said.

Chinese attacks were designed for espionage, mainly targeting Dutch defense sectors for “mapping the military intentions of NATO and the U.S.,” the report said.

These hacks aligned with the broader Chinese state government’s strategy of targeting edge devices for stealth cyberespionage operations, the Dutch agency said.

The Dutch government last year disclosed a Chinese hacking campaign that exploited a zero-day in Fortinet to access unclassified information. The Dutch National Cyber Security Center later said hackers targeted dozens of Western governments by exploiting the Fortinet flaw (see: Dutch Agency Renews Warning of Chinese Fortigate Campaign).

The agency also said Salt Typhoon, a Chinese threat group behind widespread compromise of telecom infrastructure in the U.S., has also been detected in Europe. Chinese activities are likely to continue in the coming months, it added.