Belgium’s federal finance administration took MyMinfin and other online services offline after a cyberattack penetrated its systems during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. On Thursday, the authority said the intrusion had been detected within hours and contained.
The administration said potentially compromised components were separated from the rest of its environment. Its assessment is that the attackers did not gain control of applications or access data, and that no data were leaked. This is the authority’s reported finding, not an independent forensic conclusion.
Tax declarations due around 31 October now have a deadline of 16 November. The extension addresses the immediate problem for taxpayers unable to use the services as the filing deadline approaches.
Restoration must take place in an isolated environment and requires checks before services return. The announcement did not give a time for full recovery. Federal police and Belgium’s cybersecurity centre are involved in the investigation.
The incident shows why an unavailable public service does not, by itself, prove that data have been stolen. Taking a portal offline can be a containment measure. Equally, the absence of a reported leak should not be turned into a claim that the investigation is complete.
For users, the practical information is the revised deadline and the status of the official service. Messages offering an alternative filing link should be checked against the administration’s own channels before credentials or documents are entered.
