The Dutch National Police, known as Politie, disclosed a security breach following a phishing attack that targeted its systems, according to an official statement. The agency said the incident was detected quickly by its Security Operations Center, which identified suspicious activity and blocked unauthorised access. Authorities stated that the impact of the breach appears to be limited and remains under investigation.
According to the police, there is no indication that citizens’ data or sensitive investigative information was accessed during the incident. The organisation said that affected systems were secured shortly after detection and that further analysis is ongoing to determine the scope of the breach.
Officials have not disclosed when the phishing attack occurred or which internal systems were affected. It also remains unclear whether any employee data was exposed. A spokesperson did not provide additional details on the number of accounts involved or the type of information that may have been compromised.
The police confirmed that a criminal investigation has been launched alongside the internal review. Authorities are examining how the phishing attack was carried out and whether further action is required to address any vulnerabilities identified during the investigation.
The disclosure follows a previous incident reported in September 2024, when a cyberattack linked to a suspected state actor exposed work-related contact details of police personnel, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Investigators are still reviewing the full scope and consequences of that earlier breach.
Following recent incidents, the Dutch police said it has implemented additional security measures. These include enhanced system monitoring and expanded use of multi-factor authentication for employee access to internal systems.
The agency stated that the current breach is being handled as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity protections and respond to emerging threats targeting government organisations.