The Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (MIVD) announced on Monday (June 10) that the extent of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cyber espionage activities is even more widespread than initially thought, targeting Western governments and defense companies.
According to the intelligence agency, a CCP-backed hacker group launched a cyber attack on the Dutch Ministry of Defense in 2023. Over the course of several months, this hacker group caused at least 20,000 victims worldwide, possibly even more.
The Chinese Embassy in The Hague did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Beijing has consistently denied cyber espionage allegations and claims to oppose all forms of cyber attacks.
In a statement, the intelligence agency mentioned that the targets of CCP hackers include “dozens of Western governments, international organizations, and numerous defense industry companies.”
In April, the Dutch intelligence agency reported that CCP spies were targeting Dutch semiconductor, aerospace, and maritime industries in an effort to enhance China’s military capabilities.
On February 6, the Dutch military intelligence and the General Intelligence and Security Service stated that a CCP-backed cyber spy infiltrated the Dutch military network last year as part of China’s political espionage activities against the Netherlands and its allies.
Amid escalating national security tensions between the two countries, this marks the first time the Netherlands has publicly attributed cyber espionage activities to China.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren stated, “It is crucial to make the public aware of the espionage activities carried out by China (CCP) as it helps enhance the international community’s capability to resist such cyber espionage activities.”
The two Dutch intelligence agencies revealed that hackers implanted malicious software in a network used by a 50-person armed forces unit for unclassified research, concealing their activities.
They noted in their report, “This incident is not isolated but part of a broader trend of China (CCP) engaging in political espionage activities against the Netherlands and its allies.”
In its annual assessment last year, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service highlighted that CCP espionage targeting high-tech companies and universities posed the greatest threat to the Netherlands’ economic security.
A key focus of CCP espionage activities is ASML, a semiconductor equipment giant headquartered in the southern city of Veldhoven. The advanced lithography machines produced by ASML are banned from export to China, as part of efforts by the US and its allies to counter CCP military expansion.
In another report from April last year, the Dutch intelligence agency stated that China attempted to unlawfully acquire Dutch space technology.