The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague was hit by an “advanced and targeted” cyberattack last week. The danger has now been neutralized, the court reported on Monday.
The ICC is conducting a broad analysis to assess the impact of the attack. In addition, “steps are being taken to mitigate the consequences of the incident,” the court said.
The court does not link it to the NATO summit that took place in The Hague last week. According to Justice Minister David van Weel, Russian-aligned hackers attacked various websites around that summit.
In September 2023, the court was also hit by a cyberattack. Attackers then tried to spy on the court. The ICC explicitly refers to that attack and calls the new incident “the second of its type.”
The court calls for continued help to fend off such threats. The ICC is struggling with declining international support and especially US sanctions. US software companies are not allowed to serve the court as a customer.
The US imposed the sanctions, among other things, because of the arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The two are accused of war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies.