Dutch Police Urge Ahold to File Report on Cybersecurity Incident

The incident, which began on Sunday night, has caused Ahold Delhaize to shut down several IT systems, disrupting online shopping and deliveries. The company has reported the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre as required by law, but a criminal investigation cannot start without a formal report. Ahold Delhaize has not explained why it has not filed a report yet.

The incident has affected not only Albert Heijn but also other Ahold chains, Etos and Gall & Gall, and has caused significant financial losses, estimated to be in the tens of millions of euros per day. The company’s distribution centres are running again, but its website and delivery services are still not operating.

The police have stated that cybercrime should be seen as a criminal ecosystem, with a chain of cooperating perpetrators, resources, and services that reinforce each other. The investigation into the nature and cause of the cybersecurity incident is ongoing, and there is no indication that customer or employee data has been involved.