Dutch National Arrested for Hacking into Medical Center and Stealing Tens of Thousands of Documents

The National Police in the Netherlands arrested a 19-year-old man from 'Krimpenaan den Ijssel' on allegations he breached a healthcare provider's software system and stole personal and medical data.

Stolen medical information is a hot commodity on the black market. It's often used in various kinds of fraud and phishing schemes, helping criminals find new attack vectors. It happens more often than people think.

The National Police didn't reveal the name of the company affected by the security incident, but they filed a complaint immediately after discovering it. The incident triggered an investigation, and this was the first arrest made by the police. The 19-year-old man was released after questioning, but he remains a suspect in this case.

"The suspect's home was also searched, and various data carriers were seized. The investigation into the stolen data can take quite some time," the police said in a press release. “Whether the data was further distributed or sold cannot be said with certainty at this time.”

While it's good that the company went to the authorities, the fact that we still don't know which company suffered the security breach might present a problem in the future. The authorities could still hope to recover the stolen data, but victims will have to be informed as soon as possible if it's already on the black market.

When stolen medical data ends up for sale, victims should expect all kinds of attacks, and they need to prepare.