Dozens of routers belonging to Dutch individuals and companies have been hacked by a notorious Russian military hacking group. This was discovered by the Dutch Military Intelligence Service (MIVD), according to the Volkskrant.
The MIVD came across the hacked routers during an investigation. Alarm bells started ringing when the service saw many Dutch IP addresses. It was estimated that several dozen routers were involved. The routers are part of a global network of thousands of hacked devices. They are in the hands of Russian unit 74455, also known as Sandworm or BlackEnergy. This dangerous hacking group is part of the Russian Military Intelligence Service GRU.
The GRU may misuse the hacked routers to conduct cyber operations against Dutch or allied interests.
The hacked individuals and companies have since been notified by the MIVD. The intelligence agency has advised the victims to replace the routers.
It is notable that the MIVD is making the hack public. It is not often that intelligence agencies provide details about threats. MIVD Director Jan Swillens let the Volkskrant know that transparency is important. The MIVD wants to make Dutch people aware of this type of cybercrime. "The threat is sometimes closer than you think. Dutch routers, from say the baker on the corner, are used by a state actor," Swillens told the Volkskrant.
It is not known if there is a connection to the war in Ukraine.
