The Netherlands will help Ukraine in the fight against cyberattacks carried out on the country. A cybersecurity specialist is currently standing by to assist when needed. But what will Dutch support in a possible cyberwar look like?
Help accepted
A few weeks ago, Mark Rutte and Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra visited Kiev where they spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky. During this visit, they offered assistance in the fight against cyber-attacks. This offer has now been accepted by Ukraine.
The Netherlands will provide assistance as part of the Cyber Rapid Response Team (CRRT) established in 2020. The team is a collaboration of the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Lithuania. Cybersecurity experts from these countries can work together to prevent or combat cyberattacks. From the Netherlands, the Defense Cyber Security Center is associated with the team.
The demand from Ukraine now is to assist in the cybersecurity investigation into vulnerabilities in the country’s vital systems.
Uncertainty about precise interpretation
It is still unclear what cybersecurity assistance will look like in the coming period. The cyber specialist will initially operate from the Netherlands, but could also end up on location in Kiev if necessary. It is also not yet known how many specialists will ultimately be needed to assist Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense clearly indicates that Dutch aid will have a defensive character. The focus will be on investigating vulnerabilities in the Ukrainian systems.
Need cyber help
Ukraine has been the target of cyber-attacks recently. Several government sites and banks were hit by cyber-attacks. Gigantic DDoS attacks ensured, among other
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