The Dutch government wants to be able to warn more companies about digital threats. That is why the current network of warning organizations is being expanded and reorganized. The new Cyber Resilience Network will be led by the NCTV.
The outgoing cabinet has presented a new plan to expand the current so-called National Coverage System. The LDS is a partnership of government agencies such as the National Cyber Security Center and the Digital Trust Center, which work together to warn Dutch companies of upcoming cyber threats. For example, the NCSC warns companies in vital infrastructure such as water suppliers and telecom providers and the DTC focuses on small and medium-sized businesses. That program is now being expanded and broadened, the government writes. “The government's vision for the future describes how the various existing elements of the National Coverage System can be expanded and strengthened into the Cyber Resilience Network.”
According to the authorities, there has been a need for such an expansion in recent years. Many security companies have indicated that they want to contribute. The current system is mainly intended to share information with companies that are vulnerable to, for example, a discovered vulnerability, but according to the government there is an increasing need to take the next step and offer help to actually make companies more resilient. There is also a need for education, training and practical exercises.
In recent years, the latter functions have increasingly been taken over by small parties and partnerships. These 'cloud the central role' of the original programme. There is therefore a greater need for a national coordinating function for that program.
That role will be taken up in the future by the National Coordinator for Terrorism and Security or NCTV. This is striking, because previously it was only indirectly involved in the National Coverage System. In addition, the current government took far-reaching steps in 2022 to merge all Dutch cybersecurity authorities, including the NCSC, the DTC and the CSIRT, into a single organization. The NCTV did not yet appear as a player in this.
It is not yet clear exactly what form the new collaboration will take. A 'vision of the future' has been set up that will be further developed in the coming years. The NCSC will do that, the government writes.