Pro-Russian hackers launch DDoS attacks on Dutch municipalities ahead of NATO summit

Pro-Russian cyberattacks target NATO summit infrastructure in the Netherlands

The Dutch government reported on Monday, June 23, that pro-Russian hackers carried out coordinated denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against several municipalities and organizations tied to this week’s NATO summit in The Hague.

The National Cybersecurity Center confirmed that a hacking group identifying itself as NoName057(16) claimed responsibility for the cyberattacks. While the group’s motive was not fully detailed, authorities stated the activity appears to be ideologically pro-Russian. The attacks involved overwhelming targeted websites with excessive data to force them offline.

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The cybersecurity center said it is actively investigating the incidents and is coordinating efforts with both national and international partners to assess and mitigate any further risks. Specifics on the impacted organizations were not released.

Raoul Rozestraten, a spokesperson for the municipality of The Hague, which is hosting the two-day NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, confirmed that the attacks were widespread.

“We noticed more traffic on the website of some of our service providers,” Rozestraten told The Associated Press. “As of now, everything in The Hague is working normally.”

Although the attacks impacted websites associated with municipalities across the Netherlands, core government services and summit operations in The Hague remained unaffected as of Monday evening.

In preparation for the NATO summit, the Dutch government has implemented a major security initiative, dubbed Operation Orange Shield, to safeguard the event. The operation includes heightened cybersecurity protocols, physical security enforcement, and coordination with NATO member states.

The NATO summit is expected to draw high-level international officials and has elevated concerns over both physical and digital threats. Authorities have not confirmed whether any sensitive data was compromised during the attacks.

The DDoS attacks are the latest in a string of pro-Russian cyber activities targeting Western institutions, particularly those aligned with NATO or Ukraine.