The Netherlands accuses China of spying on semiconductor and aerospace technologies

Dutch semiconductor, aerospace and maritime companies have been targeted by Chinese espionage in the past year, and knowledge-based cyberattacks have intensified, the Dutch Military Information and Security Service (MIVD) said on Thursday.

The Defense Intelligence Service, in its annual report, stressed that the Netherlands has “knowledge of modern military resources and military operations” that China can “use to continue building its own armed forces.”

For this reason, MIVD continues, Beijing tried to spy on military equipment designs, operational units and personnel of the Dutch Ministry of Defense.

In 2023, cyberattacks managed to penetrate the Department of Defense network, but because the network was not connected to the Department’s broader communications, “the damage was limited.”

According to MIVD, these Chinese “hackers” not only targeted the Dutch Ministry of Defense, but also claimed more than 20,000 victims worldwide.

The Dutch are, in particular, European leaders in the production of equipment for the production of “chips” – the electronic components necessary to operate smartphones, cars, and military equipment.

Following pressure from the US, The Hague announced in March last year it would stop exporting electronic chip technology over security concerns.

The decision has been heavily criticized by China, which relies on machines made primarily by Dutch company ASML, Europe’s main semiconductor maker, to produce the “chips.”

Dutch intelligence agencies are also keeping Russia on their radar and say they have seen an increase in cyber espionage since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as Moscow tries to obtain information about, among other things, the transport of Western military assets to Ukraine, as well as the transfer of Western military assets to Ukraine. Abroad. The Netherlands is part of this supply route.

“The threat from Russia is great. The Netherlands is an attractive target, in part because it is an important military center,” said MIVD director Peter Reesink.

In addition to “undermining Russian cyber operations” throughout 2023, the Netherlands shared intelligence about Russian cyber operations with Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to “take action and plug leaks.”

Because Russian cyber operations are aimed at gaining access to critical infrastructure for the purpose of sabotage, Reesink warns, “everything possible must be done to prevent Russia from succeeding.”

“I don’t want to think that Russia, for example, will be able to shut down the Dutch power grid. This could destroy our society, and we consider this an alarming development,” he warned.

Russian intelligence has also targeted international organizations based in the Netherlands, such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is conducting an open investigation into war crimes in Ukraine and has declared an international arrest. warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.