NCTV warns AI is accelerating cyberattacks
The new Cybersecurity Assessment says the digital threat is growing faster than the resilience of Dutch organisations.
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Dutch digital resilience is failing to keep pace with the growing cyber threat. That is according to the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) in the Cybersecurity Assessment Netherlands 2026, published on Friday.
According to the NCTV, state actors and cybercriminals are demonstrably using artificial intelligence at every stage of cyberattacks. AI is helping, among other things, to prepare attacks, find vulnerabilities and carry out attacks on a larger scale, the report says. The NCTV says this also gives less experienced attackers more capabilities.
The NCTV describes a widening gap between the growing threat and digital resilience. The organisation warns of greater risks of espionage, data theft, sabotage and disruption of digital processes. This is an assessment of national security, not a prediction that a specific incident will occur in the near future.
A key point in the report is the shorter time between vulnerabilities being discovered and exploited. According to the NCTV, this period has fallen in recent years from days to just a few hours. As a result, organisations have less time to install security updates, the NCTV says. It identifies faster patch management, back-ups, continuous monitoring and business-continuity exercises as basic measures.
Smaller businesses and organisations are particularly vulnerable because, according to the NCTV, they have fewer resources and less expertise for digital security. The organisation says directors must put cybersecurity higher on the agenda. According to the NCTV, basic measures are also still inadequate in parts of government.
According to the NCTV, the cabinet has drawn up an action programme to strengthen digital resilience structurally over the coming year. This includes a possible digital wash street: a facility allowing government bodies and businesses to have their vulnerabilities examined. The NCTV also says AI is not only used by attackers, but may become necessary for defence if attacks grow faster.
The warning therefore mainly says that the margin for error is shrinking. The report does not mention a specific new cyber incident in the Netherlands and contains no indication that AI is carrying out attacks independently. It does say that organisations must improve their security more quickly to keep pace with the development of attackers.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The NCTV published the Cybersecurity Assessment Netherlands 2026 on 6 November.
- According to the NCTV, the cyber threat is increasing while digital resilience is lagging behind.
- The NCTV says AI is being used in several stages of cyberattacks.
- According to the NCTV, the cabinet has drawn up an action programme for digital resilience.
Left
Arguments A left-wing approach stresses that digital security is a public service and that smaller organisations in particular should not have to bear all the costs themselves.
Values Equal protection, public responsibility and solidarity between large and small organisations.
Consequences Greater public support and oversight could improve resilience, but would require additional government funding on a structural basis.
Centre
Arguments An institutional approach focuses on clear minimum standards, cooperation between government and businesses, and demonstrable preparedness for incidents.
Values Continuity, proportionality and practicality.
Consequences Organisations would have more guidance, while new obligations would entail implementation costs and oversight.
Right
Arguments A right-wing approach stresses the responsibility of directors and businesses themselves and warns against dependence on central government programmes.
Values Responsibility, resilience and limited state intervention.
Consequences More scope for private security solutions could encourage innovation, but might widen the differences between well-protected and poorly protected organisations.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core claims are based directly on the new NCTV report and an independent news account of it. The text distinguishes between established observations and the NCTV's risk assessment.
- confirmed The NCTV published the Cybersecurity Assessment Netherlands 2026 on 6 November 2026. — Mentioned in the NCTV's news report. source
- confirmed According to the NCTV, AI is used at every stage of cyberattacks. — Stated in the summary of the CSBN 2026. source
- confirmed According to the NCTV, the time between vulnerabilities being discovered and exploited has fallen to a few hours. — The NCTV explicitly identifies this development. source
- confirmed The cabinet has drawn up an action programme for digital resilience. — Mentioned in the action-programme section of the NCTV report. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the NCTV published the Cybersecurity Assessment Netherlands 2026 on 6 November and describes the use of AI in several stages of cyberattacks. The report makes no specific prediction about a particular attack; statements about the future scale of the threat are assessments by the NCTV.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „cybersecurity nctv”
- NRC — „cybersecurity nctv”
- Tweakers — „cybersecurity nctv”