The Dutch security services said that major sectors of the country’s economy are threatened by digital espionage from China (the Chinese Communist Party) and Russia. The threat from the Chinese Communist Party in particular should be taken seriously, it warned.
Dutch mainstream media such as Het Financieele Dagblad reported that digital espionage from China (CCP) and Russia poses a “direct threat” to the Dutch economy. Hackers from these countries are caught daily by Dutch security services hacking into company and university computers; critical infrastructure such as drinking water supplies, banks, telecommunications and energy networks are also frequent targets.
In a joint statement to the media, the Dutch Intelligence and Security Directorate (AIVD), the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) and the National Counterterrorism and Security Coordinator (NCTV) warned that the Dutch “have no room for naivety” in this matter.
“A new arms race is underway,” said AIVD General Director Erik Akerboom, “and the national revenue capacity is threatened.”
According to Akerboom, “all the jewels in the crown” of the Dutch economy are under threat from the Chinese Communist Party and others, including the maritime sector, aviation and space travel, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology (the next generation of superfast computers).
Jan Swillens, director of MIVD at MI, said the threat from China (the Chinese Communist Party) and Russia is imminent. “They want to do it, they can do it, and they’re doing it,” he said. He said.
Agricultural technology is also of great interest to cyber spies in those countries. Both non-artificial breeding and “autonomous greenhouses,” for example, have been targeted by Communist cyber spies, business security sources said.
The Chinese Communist threat is underestimated
According to Akbom, Dutch entrepreneurs and universities in particular underestimate the Chinese (CCP) threat. The AIVD chief described the Chinese Communist Party as having a “list of technologies it wants to collect in the world. They may be acquired through foreign investments or possessed through cyber theft. The senior official therefore also reminded national entrepreneurs that such foreign investments should also be evaluated “from a national security perspective.
In a July 15, 2020 tweet, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “I think we are watching the world unite to understand the threat from the Chinese Communist Party.”
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