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According to the OM, tackling this problem effectively will require much closer teamwork, both between public institutions and private companies, and across national borders. No single organization can handle it alone anymore.
Attacks Are Becoming a Team Effort, Even for Amateurs
One of the more worrying trends highlighted in the report is how cyberattacks are increasingly pieced together by different specialized groups scattered around the world, who team up temporarily just to pull off a single operation. This kind of setup lets criminals build and adjust their attack methods on the fly, swapping tools and tactics as needed. Authorities are particularly troubled by the rise of what's known as cybercrime as a service, where criminals simply rent or buy pre-built tools, stolen personal data, and hacking services instead of building anything themselves. That means people with little to no technical background can now pull off sophisticated attacks that once required real expertise.
Artificial intelligence is adding another layer of difficulty to the fight against this. The OM was clear that AI hasn't fundamentally reshaped what cybercrime looks like, but it has made everything move faster, scale bigger, and hit harder. Criminals are already leaning on AI tools to craft more convincing phishing messages, build malware, and hunt for weak spots in systems they want to exploit.
When Hacking Blurs Into National Security
Beyond individual criminals, the report also flags a rising threat from state actors targeting the Netherlands. Governments are leaning more on hybrid warfare tactics these days, blending traditional military moves with quieter methods like covert influence campaigns, cyberattacks, and disinformation efforts. That mix is making it harder to draw a clean line between what counts as ordinary cybercrime and what counts as a genuine national security threat.
At the same time, police and prosecutors are seeing a distinct rise in young, Western hackers who focus specifically on stealing data and cryptocurrency. These aren't lone wolves either. They tend to operate inside loosely connected online communities where stolen data, hacking knowledge, and paid services get traded freely. The report points to something called "Hacker Com" as one example of this kind of network. Money is a major driver for these young offenders, but so is reputation and status within these online circles. Many use stolen information to blackmail or extort their victims afterward.
A Problem That Needs More Than Just Policing
Dutch authorities were blunt about one thing: the police and prosecutors simply can't solve this on their own. Real progress, they say, depends on cooperation between government agencies, private businesses, and international investigative bodies working together. It's not just about catching criminals after the fact either. Prevention matters just as much, along with disrupting attacks before they escalate and getting information to potential victims quickly enough that they can protect themselves. Both public institutions and private companies have a role to play in making that happen.
