News item |: 08-08-2023 |: 3:57 p.m
Websites of Dutch organizations are the target of DDoS attacks this week. Hacker group NoName057(16) claimed responsibility for these attacks.
Since the war in Ukraine, we have seen a resurgence of hacker groups carrying out DDoS attacks. The NSC has been following the rise of these groups for some time. [i] From 2023, Dutch organizations and companies are also targeted. [ii]
About DDoS attacks
A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack attacks websites or other online service systems. This attack occurs because the attacker sends a large number of requests to a website or online service. As a result, the website becomes temporarily unavailable.
Limited effect
The impact of DDoS attacks is often limited and symbolic. The groups behind DDoS attacks use strong rhetoric to draw attention to their digital attack and political goal. They often spread it through social networks.
Observed DDoS attacks can last from minutes to hours, and in exceptional cases, days. As a result, websites or other online services of affected organizations and companies are temporarily unavailable or less available.
A DDoS attack prevents an attacker from accessing confidential information. In many cases, the organization’s business operations are also limited or not dependent on the site. As a result, the impact of a DDoS attack remains limited in most cases.
NSS will continue to monitor the situation
The NCSC is in contact with its national and international cooperation partners, monitoring the situation and monitoring the activities of hacker groups such as NoName057(16). NCSC has also released various knowledge products that can help mitigate DDoS attacks (see downloads below).
[i] https://www.ncsc.nl/documenten/publicaties/2023/februari/21/vier-cybersecuritylessen-uit-een-jaar-oorlog-in-oekraine
[ii] Dutch hospitals were targeted by DDoS attacks News item |: National Cyber Security Center (ncsc.nl)