On June 23, a dozen Dutch organizations, including several municipalities, were targeted by DDoS attacks. Several media outlets reported on this today. This type of attack does not involve system intrusion or data theft. DDoS attacks fit the expectation the NCSC outlined earlier in the run-up to the NATO summit. The attacks mainly target public organizations that are engaged in or have a role around the NATO summit.
A Distributed Denial-of-Service attack (DDoS attack) aims to overload online services, servers or network equipment. This can make websites and other digital systems temporarily slow or inaccessible to users. This can cause problems such as not being able to log in, or unable to access information or services. For organizations that depend on online accessibility, this can disrupt their services. A DDoS attack does not involve system intrusion or data theft. These attacks have no impact on the integrity or confidentiality of (personal) data.
It is not always possible to understand the individuals behind a DDoS attack or their motivation. Several of the attacks carried out today were claimed by pro-Russian actor NoName057(16) and also appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive. The NCSC has been tracking NoName057(16) for a long time, and the attacks fit within a familiar pattern. These attacks are expected to become more frequent during the NATO summit.
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) is investigating the attacks. The NCSC is in contact with national and international cooperation partners, monitors the situation and keeps track of the activities of pro-Russian groups such as NoName057(16). Where possible, the NCSC informs organizations that are (future) targets to provide them with an appropriate course of action.
