Hack discovered at Ministry of Finance; Unclear if data was accessed

Last week, the Ministry of Finance discovered a hack in “systems for a number of primary processes” within the department, a spokesperson for the Ministry confirmed to RTL Nieuws. It is unknown if the hackers accessed or stole any data.

The Ministry blocked access to the affected systems on Monday, meaning that some employees are now unable to log in. The spokesperson did not say which systems are involved.

She did stress that the government can still spend and receive funds as usual. “Implementing organizations, such as the Tax Authority, have not been affected,” the Ministry said.

According to the Ministry, its IT security detected the “unauthorized access” on Thursday. “Following the alert, an investigation was launched immediately, and access to these systems has been blocked as of [Monday].”

It is not yet clear whether the hackers stole any data or had access to sensitive information, such as communications from Cabinet members.

This is not the first time that cyber attackers have targeted the Dutch government. Last month, hackers stole employee data from the Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI). And last year, a hack at the Public Prosecution Service (OM) left the judiciary disconnected from the internet for weeks.