Outage in Dutch Defense Ministry's IT network causes major disruption in public services

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - ​​​​​​​An outage in the Dutch Defense Ministry’s IT network has led to significant disruptions in public services across the country, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to the public broadcaster NOS, a ministry spokesperson confirmed that the disruption stemmed from issues within their IT network, though the exact cause remains unclear.

“It is currently unknown whether the malfunction, which began last night, was due to a software error, hardware problems, or an external cyber-attack,” the spokesperson said. “Our priority is to resolve the issue.”

Prime Minister Dick Schoof declined to comment on the specific cause of the outage.

Justice Minister David van Weel noted that such technical failures are not uncommon in the digital age and suggested that citizens should expect and adapt to these issues.

The outage has halted air traffic to and from Eindhoven Airport, with flights being redirected to Amsterdam and Brussels airports.

Additionally, several municipalities, including Zwolle, Apeldoorn, and Gouda, are unable to issue driving licenses and passports. Civil servants across various ministries and public offices are also unable to access their networks.

The disruption has also affected the state’s electronic portal, DigiD, the national gendarmerie Royal Marechaussee, and the Coast Guard.