The websites of several Dutch ports, including those of Den Helder and Amsterdam, were hacked last week and shut down for several hours. A pro-Russian hacker group claims responsibility for the attack.
“Our website has been out for some time,” says Cas Gerritsen of the port of Den Helder to NH. “It started on June 6, most likely somewhere in the afternoon. We only found out in the evening.”
The port authority took immediate action and transferred the original service from the website to another. “From then on we were available again. I think the website was down for about 18 hours.”
The port of Amsterdam also confirms the attack their website. “TueOn the 6th of June, the website was down for about an hour and a half,” says Marcella Wesseling, spokesperson for the Port of Amsterdam. It has no major impact on the ins and outs of the port, such as lock planning. “It only had an impact on our news service.”
IJmuiden is not yet able to comment. It is unclear whether the website of their port has also been affected.
Pro-Russian hackers
According to RTL News a Russian hacker group claims the attack. It would be about NoName057(16), in response to the Dutch idea to send tanks to Ukraine.
Port spokesman Gerritsen says that the attack sounds more exciting than it actually was: “Our website is used purely as an information facility, as a communication channel,” he says.
“It has not had a major impact on the work at the port itself. But this has never happened before.”
Full attention
In addition to Amsterdam and Den Helder, Groningen and Rotterdam have also had to deal with the attacks. According to Gerritsen, the other affected ports are investigating how this could have happened. “We may indeed follow up with research, but it does have our attention. That in any case.”
Claiming the Russian hacker group was done via Telegram: