Multiple Dutch provincial and municipal websites were hit by DDoS attacks attributed to pro-Russian hacker group NoName. The targets included Groningen, North Holland, Zeeland, Drenthe, Overijssel, North Brabant, and cities like Apeldoorn, Breda, Nijmegen, and Tilburg. The group posted about the attacks on X, citing Dutch military aid to Ukraine as their motive. NoName has a history of attacking Ukraine’s allies through similar disruptive means.
The attack overwhelmed servers with traffic, rendering websites unreachable for hours. DDoS attacks work by directing massive amounts of internet traffic to targeted servers.
These attacks are often conducted using networks of hacked devices that flood a website simultaneously. The overload causes websites to become slow or inaccessible until the traffic subsides or is mitigated.
NoName claimed responsibility and referenced prior Dutch aid to Ukraine as justification. The group has launched similar campaigns in other European nations supporting Ukraine. Their activities are focused on causing disruption rather than stealing data or demanding ransoms. Such politically motivated attacks are often coordinated and can be repeated over time.
The Information Security Service for Municipalities reported the affected websites were restored by 14:00 local time. Although disruptive, the DDoS attacks did not compromise internal systems or citizen data. Municipalities and provinces are reviewing protective measures to prevent future incidents. The incident highlights the vulnerability of public digital infrastructure to politically motivated cyber campaigns.
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