Several ministries have been affected by a major data breach. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations refers to a ‘privacy problem’ that has their ‘full attention’.
This was reported by BNR sources, after which confirmation from the government followed. In addition to the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth have also been affected by the data breach. Other ministries may also have been affected by the incident, which is still being investigated. The exact impact and cause of the data breach are currently unclear.
The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has confirmed that it is following official data breach procedure, which also involves the Dutch Data Protection Authority.
Investigation into scope and consequences
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and Green Growth has announced that they are investigating the situation and are following the usual steps. “The situation and the size are still being investigated,” the spokesperson said. A team has now been assembled to look into the matter thoroughly.
Details about the impact and the exact cause of the data breach are not being shared for the time being. The spokesperson indicates that this is ‘in the interest of the investigation’. It is also not yet known what impact the breach has on the daily work of the civil servants within the affected ministries.
Data breach require swift action
By law, organizations must report serious data breaches to the Dutch Data Protection Authority within 72 hours. This concerns situations in which personal data has been breached or unlawfully processed, with possible adverse consequences for those involved.
In the coming days, the exact scope of the data breach will become clear, as will the measures the ministries are taking to limit the consequences and prevent a recurrence.