Municipality of Herselt

Herselt Municipality functions as a local governmental authority in Belgium, tasked with providing essential public services to its residents. Core responsibilities encompass administrative governance, including the processing of citizen document requests and managing reservations for public facilities. The municipality directly operates key community infrastructure such as the town hall, which serves as the central administrative hub, alongside a public library and a leisure center that facilitate cultural and recreational activities. Communication and service delivery historically relied on functional email systems and in-person interactions at these locations, forming the backbone of daily civic engagement and operational continuity for the community.

In April 2023, the municipality experienced a severe cyberattack that precipitated a major operational crisis. The security breach originated from compromised login credentials belonging to an external software supplier, which subsequently provided unauthorized access to a municipal server. This incident forced the immediate closure of all primary public facilities, including the town hall, library, and leisure center, while simultaneously disabling email systems and halting critical processes for document requests and reservations. An investigation was promptly initiated to ascertain the full extent of potential data exposure; early analysis suggested that while the majority of copied data was non-sensitive, a small percentage contained personal information, leading to efforts to contact affected individuals. Notably, no ransom demands were received by the municipality. Following a comprehensive investigation and remediation effort, all disrupted services were eventually restored, though the event significantly highlighted the municipality's susceptibility to supply-chain vulnerabilities and the profound impact such attacks can have on local public service delivery.