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Belgium tax agency hit by cyberattack, shuts online portal

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Federal Public Service Finance took its primary digital platform and several related services offline as a precautionary measure to allow technical teams to secure compromised infrastructure. Despite the disruption, a large portion of the agency's other software applications remains accessible to users with either full or partial functionality. Authorities have found no evidence that confidential information was stolen during the security incident. To minimize the impact on citizens, officials confirmed that tax-filing deadlines will be extended, with revised dates to be shared once established.

Key points

  • Precautionary system shutdowns were implemented quickly to limit wider risks across the a…: Precautionary system shutdowns were implemented quickly to limit wider risks across the agency's infrastructure.
  • A significant share of the agency's other digital applications continues to operate norma…: A significant share of the agency's other digital applications continues to operate normally or partially.
  • The government is granting tax deadline extensions to accommodate disruptions caused by t…: The government is granting tax deadline extensions to accommodate disruptions caused by the unexpected service interruption.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

BRUSSELS, Oct 28 : Belgium's Federal Public Service Finance said on Wednesday that a cyberattack had hit its digital services, forcing the temporary shutdown of the country's online tax portal and several other services.

The agency said there were no indications of a data breach or that any data had been stolen, but added that the matter was being closely investigated.

• Tax-filing deadlines will be extended as a result of the disruption, the agency said, adding that a specific new date would follow as soon as possible.

• The precautionary shutdown of services is intended to limit risks and allow technical work to secure the agency's systems, it said.

• A large portion of the agency's other applications remain available with full or partial functionality, it said.

Original source: www.channelnewsasia.com

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