The Brussels Times
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
By
The Brussels Times with Belga
The AZ Monica hospital in Antwerp was targeted by a cyberattack on Tuesday, with a full-scale investigation now launched.
The hospital detected a serious IT system disruption around 6:30 am and, as a precaution, shut down its servers at both the Deurne and Antwerp campuses. It is not yet clear whether patient data has been compromised.
All scheduled procedures were postponed on Tuesday, impacting a minimum of 70 surgeries across both campuses. Seven patients were proactively transferred to another hospital.
The motives behind the cyberattack remain unknown. Unconfirmed reports within the hospital suggest the hackers may be demanding ransom, but neither the public prosecutor nor the hospital’s CEO has confirmed these claims.
Access to AZ Monica remains possible, and its emergency department is operational, albeit in a limited capacity.
However, MUG and PIT emergency services are temporarily unavailable. The hospital emphasised that its primary focus continues to be patient safety and care continuity.
Dramatic revelations shed fresh light on investigation into whether Chinese tech firm tried to buy influence in EU politics.
Belgian security agents bugged a corporate box at the RSC Anderlecht football stadium that was being used by Chinese tech giant Huawei to schmooze members of the European Parliament.
They also listened into other conversations involving one of Huawei’s leading lobbyists, including in his car. The surveillance operations, confirmed by three people with close knowledge of the investigation, formed part of a wide-ranging probe into allegations of corruption that was first revealed in March. They contributed to the Belgian prosecutor’s decision, reported by POLITICO on Monday, to request that a group of MEPs have their immunities lifted so they can be investigated.
The extraordinary revelations are the latest chapter in a saga that combines concerns about the reach of China in European politics and how susceptible EU lawmakers are to bribery and shady lobbying practices, even after a string of similar scandals.
The center, called the NATO Integrated Cyber Defense Center, will have multiple locations, but will be headquartered in Mons, Belgium.
The NATO Integrated Cyber Defense Center will “enhance network protection, situational awareness and the implementation of cyberspace as an operational domain,” the alliance said.
The NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre (NICC) will enhance the protection of NATO and Allied networks and the use of cyberspace as an operational domain. The Centre will inform NATO military commanders on possible threats and vulnerabilities in cyberspace, including privately-owned civilian critical infrastructures necessary to support military activities.
Duvel Moortgat Brewery was hit by a ransomware attack late last night, bringing to a halt the beer production in the company's bottling facilities
G7 is drafting a workaround to use frozen assets to rebuild Ukraine.
Several websites of Belgian institutions (such as those of the Royal Palace, the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the Senate) experienced some disruption late Thursday afternoon.
A new Belgian law will allow ethical hackers to hack into the data of Belgian companies without any prior permission. Until now such practices could land you in jail.
ESET researchers have discovered Lazarus attacks against targets in the Netherlands and Belgium that use spearphishing emails connected to fake job offers.
Declaration by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Belgian Government urging Chinese authorities to take action against malicious cyber activities undertaken by Chinese actors.
