Cyber Incident Victim: Radio-Télévision belge de la Communauté française
Date:
Oct 2016
Location:
Belgium
Summary
The Syrian Cyber Army claimed responsibility for DDoS attacks against multiple Belgian media outlets, including RTFB, causing significant website downtime and performance degradation. The group alleged the targeted outlets failed to report Belgian military involvement in airstrikes near Aleppo. Attackers publicized their actions via a homepage statement, referencing specific military details from a Russian report about the strikes. One affected outlet accused Russia of financing the group and identified Turkish servers as infrastructure used in the attacks. Belgian authorities initiated an investigation, noting potential connections between the perpetrators and the Syrian Electronic Army.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On October 24, 2016, the Syrian Cyber Army (SCA) executed distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against multiple Belgian media organizations, including De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen, Het Belang van Limburg, and RTFB. The group publicly claimed responsibility via a message posted on its homepage. De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad independently confirmed their websites were targeted in these attacks. The attacks caused significant operational disruptions, with most victim websites becoming completely inaccessible during the incident, while others experienced severe performance degradation that made them nearly unusable due to extreme loading delays. Technical infrastructure details about the attacks were not disclosed by the affected organizations, though Het Nieuwsblad later asserted the SCA utilized servers based in Turkey to orchestrate the assaults.
The SCA justified its actions by accusing Belgian media outlets of deliberately omitting reports that two Belgian F-16 fighter jets participated in coalition airstrikes on Hassadjek, near Aleppo, on October 18, 2016. The group cited a Russian military report alleging these strikes destroyed two residential buildings, resulting in six civilian fatalities and four injuries. Belgian authorities initiated an investigation into the attacks and publicly stated their assessment of operational links between the SCA and the more established Syrian Electronic Army. Het Nieuwsblad further accused Russia of providing financial support to the SCA, though no corroborating evidence was presented in the report. The incident highlighted geopolitical tensions influencing cyber operations, with the attacks serving both as retaliation for perceived media bias and as a means to amplify disputed military claims regarding Belgian armed forces' activities in Syria.