Cyber criminals could easily access the systems of the Hof van Twente municipality last year by using the easy-to-guess password ‘Welcome2020’, according to a study by a cyber security company on Tuesday. NFIR. The firewall was also opened to all internet traffic.
The damage from the hack runs into the millions, Mayor Ellen Nauta said Tuesday at a press conference about the investigation. According to her, work is still being done on the recovery of municipal systems.
The cyber attack was discovered on December 1 when information was encrypted and deleted and a ransom message appeared in the printers. The attackers probably had access to the systems since November 9.
As far as is known, the perpetrators have not stolen any data, such as personal data. However, the cyber attack had enormous consequences for the services of the municipality, because data was destroyed and taken hostage
The investigation also shows that the municipality did not use a so-called two-step verification. This is an extra security check – for example via an SMS – to be able to log in in addition to a password. The municipality’s network was also set up in such a way that almost all systems had access to each other, so that criminals could access everything.
Earlier in the year, the municipality had the systems tested for any problems and possible threats. But the firewall was not discovered at that time, for example.
De Volkskrant reported in early December that the criminals demanded 750,000 euros to release the files. No ransom has ever been paid. The police investigation has not yet resulted in any perpetrators.
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