In the past year, three-quarters of the Dutch have experienced cybercrime attempts. This includes poorly secured devices connected to the Internet. Only two-thirds of the Dutch say they update their smart devices often or regularly, but a significant portion also do not or rarely do so. So there are still gains to be made.
This is evident from the recently released Cybersecurity research Alert Online 2025 from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. To make Dutch people aware of the importance of updating smart devices, the ministry today launches the campaign 'Do Your Updates'.
From CBS figures show that the Dutch are using more and more smart devices connected to the Internet (IoT). In 2020, 8 percent of people had such a device; by 2024, 89 percent will have one. According to the cybersecurity survey, two-thirds of people ensure regular updates to these devices. Seven in 10 do so to keep the devices working securely. However, one-third of people do not do so immediately. That means there are at least 2.5 million devices in the Netherlands that have not always had the latest updates.
Smart devices come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from smart litter boxes to smart speakers, doorbells, baby monitors and smart TVs, from robotic vacuum cleaners to smart toothbrushes, thermostats, white goods and even children's toys. Cybercriminals can hack or take over poorly secured devices and use them for DDoS attacks, phishing emails, installing ransomware and data theft. Moreover, depending on the type, they can control the device remotely. Therefore, it is important to properly secure those smart devices with the latest updates.
Economy Minister Karremans kicks off the campaign today with a short internship at ethical hacking company Access42 in Amsterdam. During that internship, he gets a flash course in hacking smart devices. He also sees how a router and a smart TV are hacked in a house, while the residents unsuspectingly sit on the couch. Afterwards, the minister was briefed by Barend Frans, responsible for public-private cooperation in the field of cybercrime at the police, on the risks of poorly secured routers. These form the digital front door of the home and prove to be an attractive target for cybercriminals.
Criminals are increasingly managing to penetrate through digital devices in the home. This year, for example, thousands of routers were hijacked to gain access to entire networks. Also smart devices are thus vulnerable: two years ago it was revealed that Wi-Fi passwords could be accessed via smart lights. This year it was in the news that millions of smart speakers are easy to hack. Even smart feeders for animals are not always secure and give unwanted information about when people are on vacation.
Smart devices can be deployed undetected as part of a DDoS attack. And such attacks, as we have read in the media over the past few months, are becoming increasingly severe. On September 12 and 13, security platform Cloudflare signaled the heaviest attack ever.
Minister Karremans: "Online security can no longer be taken for granted. Because the threat is very real: not only criminals are after personal data and money, also some foreign states deploy offensive cyber programs to spy on or sabotage companies, large and small. Therefore, it is important for business owners and consumers to become more alert and take targeted measures. Such as regularly updating their smart devices, something we are calling extra attention to with this campaign."
