International Criminal Court reports cybersecurity 'incident'

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has revealed a hacking incident, marking a breach at one of the world’s most prominent international institutions. The ICC detected unusual activity on its computer network last week and has been responding to the incident since. The severity of the hack, whether it has been fully resolved, and the responsible party have not been disclosed by the ICC spokesperson.

The ICC, located in The Hague, is a permanent war crimes tribunal established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Currently, the court has 17 ongoing investigations into various situations, including Ukraine, Uganda, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and the Philippines.

In March, the ICC made headlines by issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. However, the Kremlin denies the accusations and rejects the court’s jurisdiction.

While the specific part of the ICC’s system that was accessed remains undisclosed, the breach potentially compromises highly sensitive documents, ranging from evidence to the names of protected witnesses.

The court stated that it is currently analyzing and mitigating the impact of the incident in collaboration with the Dutch government. Additionally, measures are being taken to enhance the ICC’s cybersecurity defenses. The court’s statement emphasized the priority of maintaining the core work of the ICC despite the breach.

Notably, the Dutch intelligence agency (AIVD) stated in its 2022 annual report that the ICC is of interest to Russia due to its investigations into potential Russian war crimes in Georgia and Ukraine. In June 2022, the AIVD had already exposed a Russian military agent posing as a Brazilian in an attempted infiltration of the court.

Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson and Gareth Jones