An unidentified “state actor” was probably behind the hacking of thousands of Dutch police officers' contact details, the country's Justice Minister has said. Personal details of about 65,000 police officers were stolen last Friday in a cyber attack.
Justice Minister David van Weel said a foreign country was believed to be behind the attack. He did not give details about which country. “The intelligence and security services consider it highly likely that a state actor is responsible” for the hack, he said in a letter to parliament.
News about the stolen details, which Mr Van Weel said contained “names, email addresses, telephone numbers and in a few cases, personal data”, caused significant concern among police personnel.
“I can imagine that police officers are concerned about the possible consequences of the hack,” he said. “The chief of police and I take this hacking incident very seriously. The police, together with national security partners, are doing everything they can to protect police officers and prevent further damage.”
He told MPs that the hackers also got away with data about judges and public prosecutors and obtained “contact information from permanent partners”, but said the number of people affected is limited. Neither the police nor the country's security services gave further information, saying the investigation was continuing.
Last week, Mr Van Weel revealed that the government was assessing whether undercover officers were at risk from the cyberattack.
In February, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service said it had discovered malware in a computer network being used by its military, blaming a Chinese state actor. Beijing strenuously denied the “groundless accusations” saying it always opposed and cracked down on cyberattacks.
In April 2018, the Netherlands expelled four alleged agents from Russia's GRU military intelligence agency for trying to hack the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. The Dutch broke with their usual practice of keeping such operations secret and revealed details of the plot, in co-ordination with US and British authorities.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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