Cyber attack against a government institution
A cyber attack against a government institution can prevent it from performing its functions. The attack may result in a security breach, in which sensitive data is accidentally or unlawfully destroyed, lost, modified or disclosed.
Government institutions linked to defence, national security, public safety, law enforcement, the judiciary, parliament or central banks are not affected by this specific risk.
Risks and causes
Causes
What can you do?
BEFORE
- Follow the official communication channels of the authorities on their channels, for example those of your city, region or province. Has there been a cyber attack with major consequences and an impact on services? Then you will receive information via these channels.
DURING
- Follow the recommendations of the authorities. Depending on the consequences of the cyber attack, you will receive specific instructions, for example relating to possible services and alternatives.
AFTER
- In some cases, it will take some time to remedy the consequences of the cyber attack. Keep following the channels of the authorities for further information and instructions.
Impact and probability
The figures relating to probability and impact describe a considerable magnitude cyber attack against a government institution. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows:
- A central public administration or government is no longer able to respond effectively to problems in society for a period of 7 days or more.
- The public's trust in the authorities collapses, with a further loss of transparency and accountability on the part of the authorities.
How should you interpret these results?
Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.
Probability
Moderate
Human impact
Very weak
Societal impact
Weak
Environmental impact
No impact
Financial impact
Weak
What do the authorities do?
Government institutions continually take a range of measures to make their systems as secure as possible.
The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) is the national authority responsible for cybersecurity in Belgium. It supervises, coordinates and monitors the application of the Belgian cybersecurity strategy. Through optimal information exchange, companies, the government, providers of essential services and the population can protect themselves appropriately.
A national cyber emergency plan has been drawn up to manage cyber security incidents and crises at national level. To this end, the National Crisis Center works together with the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium and other public partners. These partners can therefore coordinate their approaches, to protect our country's essential sectors against cyber attacks.