The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) warned that Dutch businesses, organisations and public authorities are not improving their digital defences quickly or robustly enough to keep up with threats from cybercriminals and foreign states. It said this poses a serious risk to national security, increasing the risk of espionage, data theft, sabotage and disruption of digital processes.

The NCTV said hackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to make attacks faster, larger in scale and more efficient. It called on businesses and government bodies to strengthen their cybersecurity and use up-to-date technology to defend their networks.