Cyberattack Knocks Belgium’s MyMinfin Tax Portal Offline
Belgium's FPS Finance took MyMinfin and other services offline after an Oct. 28 cyberattack; the attack type isn't disclosed, no data theft found so far, and filing deadlines are being extended.
Belgium’s finance ministry, FPS Finance, pulled its MyMinfin tax portal and several other online services offline on Oct. 28 after what it called a cyberattack on its digital services. Euronews reports the ministry says nothing so far points to stolen data. A timeline by Pasquale Pillitteri pulls together the Belgian coverage: no group has claimed the attack, and no restoration date had been given.
For defenders
What’s confirmed: FPS Finance (SPF Finances / FOD Financiën) says its digital services were attacked and that MyMinfin, the portal Belgians use to file returns and view tax documents, plus some other services were switched off as a precaution while teams assessed the impact, according to ITdaily and the Brussels Times.
Not disclosed: the type of attack. A DDoS flood would knock the portal over without anyone getting inside; an intrusion would be a different story. The ministry hasn’t said which. “No data stolen” is its own early assessment, not a forensic finding, and the investigation is ongoing.
Earlier, separate event: on Oct. 21 the ministry shut several information sites over a critical PHP flaw, restoring them after the Oct. 22 fix. No report links the two.
Deadlines: the ministry promised an “adequate extension.” The accountants’ body OECCBB says returns due around Oct. 31 move to Nov. 16; confirm on finances.belgium.be.
What it means for you
If you live or run a business in Belgium, your tax portal may be down for a while, but there’s no sign yet that your data was taken. The bigger near-term risk is scammers: OECCBB says fake MyMinfin messages are already going around, and an outage is the perfect cover for a “log in to fix your tax file” text.
Do this now
- Don’t click MyMinfin or FPS Finance links in emails or texts. Type myminfin.be into your browser yourself once it’s back.
- Check the extended deadline that applies to you on finances.belgium.be or with your accountant before Oct. 31 obligations lapse.
- If you entered your eID or itsme details on a site reached from a message, contact itsme or your bank right away.