Dutch cloud provider Leaseweb halts services temporarily following cyberattack

Dutch infrastructure-as-a-service and cloud solutions provider Leaseweb faced a cyberattack that forced the company to suspend critical systems. The incident occurred last week, prompting Leaseweb to swiftly mitigate potential risks.

On the night of August 22, Leaseweb detected abnormal activity within specific segments of its cloud environments. This prompted the company to promptly respond by temporarily shutting down certain critical systems, resulting in a brief downtime for a limited number of its cloud customers. In an email to its customers, Leaseweb acknowledged the issue and communicated its steps to address the situation.

The company stated, "The issue impacted a specific portion of our cloud-based infrastructure, leading to downtime for many cloud customers. We’ve taken quick and determined steps to reduce potential risks in response to this event. This includes temporarily disabling certain critical systems impacting the Customer Portal."

As of now, the affected systems have reportedly been restored to normal functioning. Notably, the company’s status page currently does not indicate any ongoing issues.

In the wake of this incident, questions arise about the nature of the attack and its potential implications. SecurityWeek, a prominent cybersecurity news source, has sought further clarification from Leaseweb regarding the details of the attack, including inquiries about the possible involvement of ransomware and whether any customer data might have been compromised. The company’s response to these queries could provide valuable insights into the incident. SecurityWeek has indicated that they will update their article with any relevant information they receive from Leaseweb.

Leaseweb is a reputable provider of various digital services, catering to a substantial clientele of over 17,000 customers, including small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises. Their services span cloud solutions, content delivery networks (CDN), managed hosting, colocation, bare metal server provisioning, and more.