AI-generated illustration

Websites that Dutch residents use to access public services, including the DigiD identity system and the MijnOverheid portal, were taken offline temporarily after critical vulnerabilities were discovered in PHP, a programming language widely used in web infrastructure.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten said the government was monitoring the situation closely and that the sites would be restored once security was assured. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued a high-priority warning about the flaws.

Wider disruption from the PHP flaws

Access to a large number of websites worldwide, including many government sites, had already been suspended partly or fully because of the vulnerabilities in PHP.

In the Netherlands, residents use DigiD, a digital identity system, to log in to many public services such as taxes, health insurance and social security. MijnOverheid is the government portal where people can view correspondence from public institutions and their own official information.

Key takeaways

• DigiD and MijnOverheid were taken offline temporarily after critical PHP vulnerabilities were discovered.
• The NCSC issued a high-priority alert saying all PHP installations handling internet requests are affected.
• The flaws can be exploited without a username or password, allowing remote access to affected servers.
• Prime Minister Rob Jetten said the sites will reopen once security is assured; Minister David van Weel confirmed a patch is available.