International Criminal Court again hit by sophisticated cyberattack

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has once again been the target of a cyberattack. The institution based in The Hague spoke on Monday of a “new, complex and targeted cybersecurity incident”. This was discovered at the end of last week and has since been contained. Internal “warning and response mechanisms” had worked. A “court-wide impact assessment” is currently being carried out, it added. Measures are being taken to mitigate the effects of the attack.

The ICC, which was officially established 23 years ago with the ratification of the so-called Rome Statute by over 60 states, has not yet disclosed any further details, for example about compromised data or accounts. The court had already been targeted by a cyberattack in 2023, which was described as “unprecedented” at the time. Subsequently, there were growing indications that this was an attempt to commit espionage and undermine the institution's mission. The institution subsequently increased its own IT security measures. Potential perpetrators have not yet been named.

Arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Putin & Co.

The ICC has repeatedly made headlines in recent years. For example, it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the then Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant and several Hamas leaders. They are accused of alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes during the Gaza war. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin. One of the accusations against him: unlawful abduction of Ukrainian children.

The recent news that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan was locked out of his Microsoft-based email account following US sanctions caused a stir. The software giant claims that the measures it took “in no way involved the termination of services to the ICC”. The Open-Source Business Alliance (OSBA) nevertheless spoke of a wake-up call for digital sovereignty.

(mack)