Major breach exposes every Dutch police officer: state-sponsored actor suspected

The Dutch National Police suspect that a state-sponsored actor was behind a cyber attack that exposed nearly 63,000 officers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, and, in some cases, other private information.

“Based on the information from the intelligence services, the police immediately implemented strong security measures against this attack,” the police said in a statement.

“To avoid informing the perpetrators and to prevent compromising further investigation, no more details can be disclosed at this time.”

The breach became evident on September 26th. The Minister of Justice and Security informed the Dutch Parliament that the threat actor had obtained work-related contact details and claimed that the breach didn’t concern private data.

The police try to balance transparency and security and haven’t disclosed how the cybercriminals gained access to the data.

Dutch police chief Janny Knol said she had “spoken to many colleagues in recent days who had questions and concerns,” which she also shares.

“I am – like many of you – shocked that this could have happened, and it affects me that our colleagues' data turned out not to be safe,” Knol said.

In a separate statement, she added, “In order to provide safety outside, you have to feel safe inside.”

Individuals who very recently retired or moved elsewhere are also affected.

“If you resigned before July 24th, 2024, your data was not involved in the hack,” the police said.

External partners may also be affected. According to the provided FAQ, external persons and organizations whose data may have leaked have been informed.

Affected individuals are advised to be extra alert for phishing emails, suspicious messages, and phone calls, as hackers may attempt to obtain further information.