Belgian firms face large‑scale cyber attacks due to third‑party vulnerabilities

Recent cyber attacks have impacted hundreds of Belgian organisations. They exploited compromised Fortinet firewalls and VPNs, exposing thousands of entities worldwide to unauthorized access. The incidents show that reliance on a digital ecosystem where firms have limited control over third‑party components creates a systemic risk.

Attackers now operate as organized enterprises, using automated scanning tools and AI to locate and exploit vulnerabilities quickly, enabling massive, coordinated campaigns. The weakness often lies outside the target’s own infrastructure—cloud providers, software vendors, IT partners. Experts argue the focus must shift from pure prevention to cyber‑resilience, emphasizing detection, response and recovery as part of corporate governance.