A pro-Russian hacker collective, NoName057, has launched multiple cyber-attacks against Belgian government and institutional websites over the past few days.
The attacks, which began earlier this week, have taken down several high-profile websites, including those of the Belgian banking federation Febelfin, the Federal Ministry of Economy, and the Port of Antwerp-Zeebrugge. Even Belgium’s own Centre for Cybersecurity (CCB), responsible for national digital security, was not spared.
The method behind these attacks is a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault, where servers are flooded with an overwhelming number of requests, causing them to become unresponsive.
Although this has disrupted access to the affected websites, it is important to note that these attacks do not involve data breaches or theft of information. Their primary objective seems to be disruption, making the websites inaccessible to the public for extended periods.
NoName057 has a well-documented history of targeting websites from countries that support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Belgium’s role in this war appears to have made it a target for these cyber-attacks.
Specifically, Belgium’s decision to purchase and supply Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine is believed to have been a key trigger. These howitzers, manufactured by the French company Nexter, have been highly effective on the battlefield, and Belgium’s contribution is seen as a substantial military aid to Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression.
While these attacks have caused significant inconvenience, there has been no evidence of any deeper penetration of government systems. The Belgian government and its cybersecurity teams have indicated that the DDoS attacks are more of a public nuisance rather than a severe threat to the integrity of national security systems.
Election Concerns Addressed
As Belgium prepares for municipal and provincial elections on Sunday, concerns were raised about whether these cyber-attacks could interfere with the electoral process. Flemish interior minister Hilde Crevits has reassured the public that the attacks do not pose a threat to the upcoming elections. According to Crevits, voting computers are not connected to the internet, rendering them immune to the kind of attacks currently being experienced.
Crevits stated earlier this week, “Voting computers are not connected to the internet and therefore cannot be hacked.” She also expressed confidence in the robustness of the systems in place to transmit voting results, further stating that precautions had been taken to ensure the security of election software. “We will also continue to monitor everything in the next few days and are in close contact with the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium,” she added.
The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium echoed these sentiments, stating that while the attacks have disrupted certain public services, they do not represent a credible threat to the country’s electoral processes.
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