Stories by Loek Essers

Smart energy grids need protection from cyber attacks, ENISA says

Smart grids, upgraded versions of electricity networks with two-way digital communication, should make the European energy system more efficient. But their dependency on computer networks, applications and the Internet makes society more vulnerable to malicious cyber attacks with potentially devastating results, European Network and Information Security Agency said in a report published on Tuesday.

Loek Essers | 10 Jul | Read more

Report: Dutch government was unprepared for SSL hack

The Dutch government was unprepared to handle an SSL hack that caused the government's communication infrastructure to be vulnerable for months, the Dutch Safety Board said in report on Thursday. Because the government was unable to replace the certificates immediately, citizen and company data was left unsecured, the board said.

Loek Essers | 28 Jun | Read more

Online services increased their effort to protect user data, EFF says

While some online services are stepping up their efforts to protect private user data from government requests, there is plenty room for improvement, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said on Thursday. It is time for all companies that hold private user data to make public commitments to defend their users against government overreach, the foundation said.

Loek Essers | 01 Jun | Read more

Hackers blackmail Belgian bank with threats to publish customer data

Hackers claimed to have breached the systems of the Belgian credit provider Elantis and threatened to publish confidential customer information if the bank does not pay €150,000 (US$197,000) before Friday, May 4, they said in a statement posted to Pastebin. Elantis confirmed the data breach on Thursday, but the bank said it will not give in to extortion threats.

Loek Essers | 03 May | Read more