Prisons seize inmate laptops over security flaw

The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security has confiscated over a hundred laptops from prisoners and inmates in secure psychiatric units due to a security vulnerability.

Some inmates are entitled to a laptop to read their criminal records. These documents are provided on a USB stick. The Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI), which is responsible for the enforcement of a court’s sentence or custodial measure, has a total of 500 laptops at its disposal.

To prevent the inmates from having contact with the outside world, these devices have limited functionality. For example, they don’t have WiFi connectivity, meaning they can’t send emails or messages via other online messaging platforms.

In October 2025, some of the laptops were replaced. This involved approximately 110 laptops. On Friday, January 23rd, 2026, a vulnerability was found in the security of these new laptops.

“Due to a software configuration error, internet access may not be fully blocked. The vulnerability was discovered during an inspection by a DJI security officer at one of the penitentiary institutions. It was then decided to immediately collect all laptops that were on loan,” Arno Rutte, Minister for Legal Protection, wrote in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives.

An analysis shows that a large number of the DJI’s laptops do not contain the security vulnerability. These laptops were made available again to inmates on Saturday, January 24th, for the preparation and processing of their cases.

However, the 110 new laptops may contain the vulnerability. These devices had already been distributed in most of the DJI institutions. These laptops will first be repaired and checked before being made available again. The repairs are expected to take several days.

The Custodial Institutions Agency is investigating whether inmates actually exploited the vulnerability by using the internet, and whether any such use was logged. The investigation will also look into the cause to prevent recurrence in the future.

Minister Rutte promises to share the details of the inquiries with the House of Representatives.

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