Suryaa Now International Desk: Hackers have once again attacked the digital systems of Belgium, a European country. Belgium Federal Public Service Finance (Tax Agency)... Hackers have once again attacked the digital systems of Belgium, a European country. A massive cyber attack targeted the digital services of Belgium's federal public service finance (tax agency). Alarmed by this unexpected development, the authorities temporarily suspended the online tax portal and several important digital services across the country.
Europe's corporate and government circles are in a frenzy as emergency security measures are put in place to protect government financial and tax administration systems. The tax officials disclosed that due to this cyber attack, MyMinfin, the main portal serving taxpayers, along with many other online services, were suspended. However, the authorities have clarified that the preliminary investigation so far has not revealed any data breach and no personal information of customers or citizens has fallen into the hands of the hackers. However, representatives of the tax agency said in a statement that the services are expected to be restored only after a thorough review of the system's security. Keeping in mind the inconvenience faced by taxpayers due to downtime of online portals, the Belgium Finance Department has announced that it is extending the deadline for filing tax returns.
The new due dates will be announced officially after the technical issues are fully under control, he said. A team of experts is constantly working to make the systems more secure, the agency said, adding that other related applications are available with some limitations. In recent years, cybercriminals have been increasingly targeting the websites of government and financial institutions in Europe for illegal attacks. Governments are implementing robust cyber security measures to protect departments, especially those with highly sensitive tax information, from being exposed to hackers. Intelligence and cyber security officials have stepped up investigations into which country's hacker group is behind the attack on the Belgian tax agency.
