Ahead of the NATO summit, the Netherlands should take into account an increased risk of sabotage, cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns. The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) and several ministries confirmed this to Nu.nl. The summit of NATO countries will take place June 24-25, 2025, at the World Forum in The Hague.
According to cybersecurity expert Willem Zeeman, Russia has been hacking systems of vital companies and infrastructure for years. "The problem is that such hacks often go unnoticed for a long time. A moment like the NATO summit could theoretically be used to disrupt things like a power grid or the cell phone network, should they have that access."
Koen Aartsma of the Clingendael Institute warns that we must also be mindful of acts of sabotage. "We saw in the run-up to the Olympics in Paris that with a small fire in the right place a large part of the French railroads was shut down."
New techniques make it easier for malicious actors to spread disinformation, Zeeman argues. "The development of AI for generating photos and videos is moving at lightning speed. This now touches an interesting intersection with American politics where truth seems to be becoming more and more of a stretch. This makes it even easier for other countries to make disinformation more credible."
"Since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, we see that the threat of hybrid conflict conduct, including sabotage, has increased. That threat applies for a longer term, so also after the NATO summit," Aartsma said.
