Curaçao Tax Office

The Curaçao Tax Office experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted crucial government services, including the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration. The incident, which began on July 24, caused days of service outages, affecting phone services and internal processes. While some departments, such as the Motor Vehicle Tax Department, were restored, the office spent weeks without customer support channels. Experts from the Netherlands were brought in to assist with recovery. The attack highlighted the growing threat of ransomware in the Caribbean region, prompting warnings from other governments about the need for stronger cybersecurity measures.

Source: https://therecord.media/aruba-curacao-governments-cyberattacks?&web_view=true

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/centrale-bank-van-curacao-en-sintmaarten

"id": "cen228080925",
"linkid": "centrale-bank-van-curacao-en-sintmaarten",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "7/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Administration',
                        'location': 'Curaçao',
                        'name': 'Curaçao Tax Office',
                        'type': 'Government'},
                       {'industry': 'Judicial',
                        'location': 'Dutch Caribbean',
                        'name': 'Joint Court of Justice',
                        'type': 'Government'},
                       {'industry': 'Public Administration',
                        'location': 'Aruba',
                        'name': 'Parliament of Aruba',
                        'type': 'Government'}],
 'attack_vector': ['Ransomware', 'Phishing'],
 'customer_advisories': 'Public notifications to resend emails and avoid '
                        'suspicious messages.',
 'date_detected': '2024-07-22',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-07-24',
 'date_resolved': '2024-08-05',
 'description': 'Multiple countries in the Caribbean, including Curaçao, '
                'Aruba, and Sint Maarten, experienced cyberattacks affecting '
                'crucial government services. The incidents included '
                'ransomware attacks and phishing attempts, leading to service '
                'outages and disruptions.',
 'impact': {'downtime': 'Several days to weeks',
            'operational_impact': 'Service outages, disrupted legal '
                                  'proceedings',
            'systems_affected': ['Tax Office',
                                 'Customs Administration',
                                 'Joint Court of Justice',
                                 'Parliament of Aruba']},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'lessons_learned': 'The increasing sophistication of ransomware attacks '
                    'necessitates a proactive and strategic approach to '
                    'cybersecurity.',
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True},
 'recommendations': 'Strengthening cyber defenses is essential to ensure '
                    'business continuity and safeguard critical data and '
                    'systems.',
 'references': [{'source': 'Curaçao Chronicle'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public notifications and advisories',
              'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
              'third_party_assistance': 'Experts from the Netherlands'},
 'stakeholder_advisories': 'Warning from Sint Maarten’s Bureau '
                           'Telecommunications and Post about the growing '
                           'threat of ransomware attacks.',
 'title': 'Cyberattacks affecting government services in the Dutch Caribbean',
 'type': 'Cyberattack',
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Potential vulnerability in Citrix NetScaler'}