Cyber Incident Victim: Netherlands
Date:
Jun 2025
Location:
Netherlands
Summary
A pro‑Russian hacking group known as NoName disrupted a service used by Dutch provinces and municipalities to publish official announcements, causing slow access to council and provincial documents. The attack generated large volumes of network traffic that overwhelmed the provider’s systems, leading to queued visitors and intermittent inaccessibility of sites in South Holland, Overijssel, The Hague, Den Bosch and Delft. NoName claimed responsibility via Telegram, stating the action targets countries that support Ukraine, while Dutch officials noted the incident fits a pattern of pro‑Russian cyber activity ahead of a NATO summit.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On Monday morning, a service used by municipalities and provinces to publish official announcements was likely the target of a digital attack. The disruption is believed to be the work of NoName, a cybercrime gang of pro‑Russian hackers that has been active for several years. NoName claimed responsibility for this attack in a Telegram message. The attack made it more difficult to access the pages containing council and provincial documents from the provinces of South Holland and Overijssel, and from municipalities such as The Hague, Den Bosch, and Delft. NotuBiz, the service provider, stated that they were experiencing disruptions due to a large amount of network traffic to their systems. According to a NotuBiz spokesperson, the firewall was working properly, the traffic was being blocked, and people were being queued. As a result, visitors experienced very slow page load times. The company had not yet said whether the incident constituted a DDoS attack.
The Hague reported that several providers were experiencing large amounts of network traffic to their systems. The municipality described this as a nationwide situation. As a result, various domains, also used by the municipality of The Hague, were sometimes limited or inaccessible. NoName said it primarily aims to combat countries that pledge financial support to Ukraine. This motive was also cited as the reason for a previous major cyberattack in Belgium a few months ago. A message from the group read: “We decided to visit Russophobic Belgium and at the same time show how initiatives supporting the criminal Kyiv regime end.” In an interview with the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, a NoName member said they attack websites because a large‑scale war is being waged against Russia and that with their attacks they damage the economies of countries hostile to Russia. One of their slogans is “Justice has no name,” which explains the group's name. The VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) views NoName attacks as a digital warning shot from the Russians. Member of Parliament Queeny Rajkowski said the AIVD is warning the Netherlands for a reason, noting that the world is more unsettled and that this has an impact on the Netherlands, and that the country must be prepared for a scenario in which cyberattacks are successful. She referred to a previous attack by NoName. The Hague hosts the annual NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, and warnings of cyberattacks had already been issued in the run‑up to the summit.
NoName has previously carried out cyberattacks on government websites, media outlets, and private companies in Ukraine, the United States, and Europe. The group has been active for several years. They have claimed responsibility for various incidents via Telegram messages. In Belgium a few months ago, NoName carried out a major cyberattack that they said was motivated by opposition to Belgian support for Ukraine. The group’s stated goal is to damage the economies of countries that are hostile to Russia. Their slogan “Justice has no name” is reflected in the name they use. The VVD’s warning referenced the AIVD’s alerts about the Netherlands being affected by a more unsettled world. The upcoming NATO summit in The Hague had prompted pre‑emptive warnings about possible cyber threats.