In March of this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague made headlines by issuing an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The allegations against Putin revolve around accusations of committing atrocities against innocent Ukrainian citizens under the guise of war. In response to this significant move by the ICC, a group of state-funded cyber-criminals has initiated a series of cyberattacks on the ICC, reportedly with the aim of pilfering sensitive documents.
These cyberattacks, which began at the close of last week, are still ongoing and continue to disrupt the court’s servers in The Hague. High-ranking officials have suggested that these attacks will persist until the United Nations Security Council helps withdraw the arrest warrant against Putin.
For context, The Hague serves as the capital city of South Holland and is home to both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. These institutions are tasked with investigating and adjudicating cases related to crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and border disputes.
The Dutch government has responded swiftly to this situation, launching a comprehensive inquiry to determine the origins of these cyberattacks. Suspicion firmly points toward foreign involvement, prompting the Netherlands to seek the assistance of the Netherlands National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Ministry of Justice and Security.
It’s worth noting that the ICC holds the authority to investigate digital attacks stemming from war crimes. In this case, the court not only issued an arrest warrant against Putin but also imposed sanctions on the nation under his leadership.
Ironically, such warrants and related actions often come across as mere symbolic gestures to the public and the media. To date, no national leader has been successfully prosecuted on foreign soil.
Important to mention, the group behind these cyberattacks is known as “Killnet,” and it is widely believed to be a pro-Russian hacking group with a mission to disrupt critical infrastructure in adversary nations. Their primary goal is to create political instability in the targeted nation by disrupting its national infrastructure.
