Cyberattacks come in various shapes and sizes. These attacks can be aimed at the network, hardware, or software, varying from a computer virus or a hack to a DDoS attack.
For example, several cases recently emerged where Chinese hardware appeared to contain eavesdropping chips and malware. Prominent news media reported that the Chinese government had placed tiny bugs in Supermicro’s servers, which are used, among others, by Apple and Amazon data centers. Similarly, the Chinese company Huawei was accused of espionage through software. The US Department of State placed sanctions on Huawei, prohibiting US companies from doing business with them. In the Netherlands, a task force report investigated the vulnerabilities in the networks of Dutch telecom providers. No additional restrictions are currently imposed on Chinese equipment in the Netherlands, but, according to the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), providers must take extra measures to prevent espionage from taking place via networks.
To limit the risk of cyber burglary, the equipment on which mission-critical applications run must meet the highest security requirements. In addition, it is essential that there is maximal protection for both the physical IT environment and the network environment where this equipment is located.