Covid access testing waiting times caused by cyberattack

The delays in the IT systems used to provide coronavirus tests specifically for accessing events and venues were most likely caused by a hacking attempt on Friday, Open Netherlands Foundation said. The cyberattack caused delays in the processing of test results and led to queues at several testing locations, and the issues were largely resolved by Saturday afternoon.

The website is used to book appointments for rapid antigen tests. These tests provide people access to a wide range of locations starting on Saturday. 

There are currently no indications that the attackers gained access to the system or data. The irregularities were first identified on Friday morning. According to the Open Netherlands Foundation, measures were immediately taken to secure systems and to prevent similar hacking attempts.

”Thousands of people are looking forward to going out for an evening for the first time in months and many test locations are fully booked today. It is therefore very disappointing to see someone trying to disrupt this from the outside,” said Tom Middendorp, chair of the Board of Directors of the Open Netherlands Foundation.

”Safety is our top priority and we were able to address this immediately, but this caused delays, which means that some people now have to wait longer for their test results. We are therefore doing everything we can to clear the backlog so that everyone can enjoy a nice evening out,” Middendorp said.

”Due to a delay in the IT system, receiving your test results may take longer. We are currently working on a solution and sending the test results as soon as possible,” the Testing for Access website stated Saturday morning.

The Open Netherlands Foundation said they were conducting further investigations into the attack attempt with external parties.