Last week, the Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in light of the Dutch allegations that four Russians had attempted to carry out a cyberattack on the international chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague.
The Netherlands is in a state of “cyberwar” with Russia, Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld told Dutch broadcaster NPO on Sunday.
“What happened is really dangerous,” Bijleveld said in a nod to an April incident near the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which, she said, involved purported GRU officers.
Asked if the current situation between the two countries could be described as a “cyberwar” she replied: “Yes, that is the case.”
“People try to interfere in various ways in our life all the time, to influence our democracy. We have to shake off the naivety in this domain and take measures.”
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The country's cybersecurity budget saw an increase after the alleged incident was made public, the minister added. “We are investing more in intelligence services to be able to see what is going on and take measures if necessary.”
Moreover, Bijleveld said that the Netherlands has offered NATO the opportunity to use its “cybersoldiers.”
On October 4, Ank Bijleveld claimed that the country's intelligence services had foiled a…
