The pro-Russian hacking group NoName057(16) has announced its responsibility for a series of cyberattacks targeting governmental and public service websites in the Netherlands and France.
These latest offenses follow closely on the heels of the group's recent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against Spanish and Italian government and private sector organizations.
According to a statement from the Dutch government cybersecurity agency on Tuesday, August 8, the impact of these DDoS attacks remains "limited and symbolic."
Nevertheless, the Netherlands has seen an uptick in hacktivist groups' activities since the onset of the war in Ukraine, focusing particularly on Dutch companies and organizations.
Targets of NoName057(16) include the Dutch public transport website, local bank SNS, the Groningen seaport, and the website of the municipality of Vlardingen. As of this report, these websites remain inaccessible, overwhelmed with junk traffic that has rendered them unreachable.
The group is no stranger to Dutch infrastructure; back in June, NoName057(16) launched an attack on port websites in the cities of Rotterdam and Groningen, media reports stated.
These actions have resonated with earlier warnings from Dutch intelligence agencies that the country's maritime, internet, energy, and wind farm infrastructures are susceptible to potential Russian sabotage.
In France, NoName057(16) has claimed to have targeted the nation's customs service. Though the agency reported the website's unavailability due to a "maintenance operation," it remains inaccessible, stirring speculations of a cyberattack. Moreover, the French financial regulator's website is currently unavailable, with a displayed message citing temporary maintenance.
NoName057(16) has a record of attacking Ukraine and its allies, having previously targeted Poland's tax service and various candidates' websites in the Czech presidential election.
Researchers at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne describe NoName057(16)'s DDoS incidents as causing "short-lived disruption with little to no wider consequence." Most of the group's operations employ a DDoS attack toolkit known as DDoSia, used against governmental bodies, media outlets, and private companies across Europe, including Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, and Italy.