Russian-aligned hackers attack sensitive Dutch sites
Dutch authorities are investigating the possibility that deliberate sabotage was behind the fire that disrupted train services to and from Schiphol Airport on Tuesday, while Russian-affiliated hackers claimed responsibility for a wave of cyberattacks on Dutch sites linked to the NATO summit.
ProRail, the railway infrastructure management company, explained that the fire broke out in cables next to the track, causing significant damage, noting that repairs will take hours. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The company added: "ProRail and the police are investigating the cause of the power outage on the tracks near Schiphol, and all scenarios are being considered."
Justice and Security Minister David van Wil said that the possibility of sabotage is being considered in the investigations, and he stated from The Hague during the NATO summit: "This is one of the possibilities we are investigating. The question is who is behind it? It could be a group of activists, another state, or any entity. The most important thing now is to repair the cables and resume traffic." A report from NOS also indicated that the incident might be related to copper theft.
ProRail refrained from providing confirmed hypotheses, stating only that it is studying all possibilities, emphasizing that it seeks to find out the cause as soon as possible. In a separate context, Russian hackers from the group NoName05716 claimed responsibility for DDoS attacks that temporarily disrupted several Dutch websites, including the public transport company Connexxion and two side events of the NATO summit in The Hague: the Just Peace festival and the Road to Summit event.
A spokesperson for Transdev Nederland, the owner of Connexxion and its subsidiaries Breng and Hermes, confirmed that the cyber attack led to a temporary shutdown of the site, noting that the outage lasted no more than 30 minutes. The source of the attack has not been definitively confirmed. The group also claimed responsibility for a previous attack on Monday targeting the NotuBiz service used by municipalities and provinces to publish official announcements. This group is known for its repeated attacks on institutions in countries supporting Ukraine.