NWO application system down after ‘failed cyber attack’

NWO’s ISAAC application system has been down for almost a week. They first called it a glitch, but now the research funder is reporting a cyber attack. The application system will remain offline for security reasons until at least Monday 26 August.

There have been ‘attempts to get in’, says an NWO spokesperson, ‘but they failed.’ There appears to be no damage to NWO’s systems and no data has been stolen.

Emergency solution

Scientists use ISAAC to apply to NWO for funding for their research. On Tuesday afternoon, 20 August, there was deadline for the Take off programme. With this, NWO supports researchers who want to bring their finding to market. As a emergency solution, they have to email their applications.

‘It is very annoying for scientists that the system is not working,’ says the spokesperson. ‘At the moment, we don’t know who is behind this or what the motive is. It may even be that it was not a targeted attack.’

In 2021, NWO was shut down by a successful hack. At the time, ISAAC was the only one not affected. Yet then, as now, the system was taken offline for security reasons.

HOP, Olmo Linthorst

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