Speed Cameras Knocked Out After Cyber Attack

In a shocking turn of events, the Netherlands' Public Prosecution Service has suffered a devastating cyber attack that has left many speed cameras out of commission. The hack, which was discovered last month, has had an unusual side effect - causing some speed cameras to cease capturing evidence of motorists breaking the rules of the road.

The National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) and data protection regulators in The Netherlands were informed that a data breach had potentially occurred, and an internal memo from the organisation's director of IT warned of the risks of reconnecting systems to the internet without knowing that the hackers had been expelled from the network. However, it was the disconnection of systems that has left many speed cameras in a non-functioning state.

Local media reports claim that fixed speed cameras, average speed checks, and portable speed cameras that are usually in one location for about two months before relocation are impacted by the outage - with the only type to escape the problem being those which look out for motorists who are using their mobile phone while driving. According to evidence seen by journalists, the Public Prosecution Service took itself offline on July 17, following suspicions that hackers had exploited vulnerabilities in Citrix devices to gain unauthorised access.

The organisation's disconnection from the internet left workers still able to email each other internally, but any communications or documents that were needed outside the organisation had to be printed out on paper. This has resulted in significant delays for cases, with Marthyne Kunst, a member of the crisis team dealing with the hack, stating that "Unfortunately, it all takes more time."

The consequence of this delay is that cases may be prevented from going ahead in a timely fashion. The outage of speed cameras in the Netherlands is also a stark reminder that cyber attacks do not just steal data - they can cause repercussions in sometimes strange and dangerous ways.

A Timely Reminder

The fact that a cyber attack has impacted the functioning of speed cameras, which are designed to keep roads safe, serves as a timely reminder of the importance of cybersecurity. As we become increasingly reliant on connected systems, it is essential that we take steps to protect ourselves from cyber threats.

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