Headlines October
Users of apnoea devices hold Philips liable for health complaints
Four users of a Philips device used for the treatment of sleep apnea, the Dreamstation 1, are holding the manufacturer liable for health complaints. Their lawyer Mark de Hek has informed the company of this in a letter. The users say they suffer from headaches or breathing problems or have cancer. Some of these conditions are also mentioned in safety warnings about the device. The users want to investigate whether the use of the Dreamstation 1 has led to their health complaints. In the Netherlands, about 50,000 of these devices have been sold. Sleep apnoea is when a person's breathing stops during sleep. The machine then ensures that breathing continues.
Safety warning
Last summer Philips warned about problems with the sound-absorbing foam in the Dreamstation 1. People were therefore advised to stop using the device and to contact a doctor. But for some users, sleeping without the machine was not possible for medical reasons. "Some of my clients are still using the device," says lawyer De Hek. "They don't know if it's safe, but if they stop they'll be tired all day, have headaches or maybe fall asleep at work or in the car. So it's choosing between two evils." In the safety warning, Philips says it has received complaints about black particles in the mask and elsewhere. Users are also said to have suffered from headaches, coughing and chest pressure.
Acknowledging liability
According to De Hek, Philips must now acknowledge liability, so that the consequences of using the device can be investigated. That investigation should be done and paid for by Philips, says the lawyer. "It would be the opposite world if my clients had to do this research and pay for it. Philips brought these problems into the world, so it should also take responsibility for them." According to him, the studies should help to translate the general warning into the situation of individual users. "There is a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty among my clients now." Should the investigations show that his clients' health problems were caused by use of the apnea device, Philips must compensate for those damages, the lawyer says.
Solve the problem as quickly as possible
Philips said it could not comment on the liability claim. "I would like to reiterate that we take the safety notification regarding these devices very seriously and that we strive to solve this as well and as quickly as possible," says a spokesperson.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2403441-gebruikers-apneu-apparaten-stellen-philips-aansprakelijk-voor-gezondheidsklachten
NVWA warns against glass splinters in counterfeit 'Nescafe Gold' instant coffee
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is warning consumers against counterfeit 'Nescafé Gold' instant coffee after glass and plastic shards were found in the jars. The product is not made by Nestlé, the producer of Nescafé Gold. The splinters are larger than 7 millimetres and can get stuck in the throat when drinking the coffee. The NVWA has classified the instant coffee as a harmful product. The jars have been removed from the shops. Specifically, the jars are labelled 'Nescafé Gold' on a German-language label, with production code 60820814B1 9:15 and a best-before date of 10-2021. The NVWA advises consumers not to drink the fake coffee with the German label and to throw it away. According to the authority it is an illegal product and it is unclear who the manufacturer is. It is also unclear how many jars have ended up on the shelves in the Netherlands.
Source: https://nos.nl/l/2402547
Aldel aluminium plant largely suspends production due to high gas prices
Aluminium factory Aldel in Delfzijl will stop production for 60 to 70 percent starting Sunday because of high gas prices. Financial director Eric Wildschut tells Nieuwsuur. As of today, the production is already scaled down. Due to the increase in gas prices, it is no longer profitable to continue on the normal basis, says Wildschut. "We are already paying 4500 euros in electricity costs per tonne of aluminium and the selling price is 2500 per tonne," says Wildschut. "So that is absolutely not sustainable."
Dismissals not excluded
The employees have been informed by email today. "The staff are extremely worried," says Klaas Pijper, chairman of the works council. Aldel has some 400 employees. Wildschut does not rule out the possibility that people will have to be laid off. They will talk to the trade unions after the weekend. The price of gas has been rising rapidly recently. More and more companies are getting into trouble.
Source: https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2400724-aluminiumfabriek-aldel-legt-productie-grotendeels-stil-om-hoge-gasprijzen
IJmonds company is not yet letting go of its hostage software: "Concerns are great"
A hack with hostage software at IJmond Werkt in Beverwijk still holds the organisation in its grip. Director of the company Erwin van Hardeveld has been on a rollercoaster ride since the cyber attack at the beginning of September to limit the damage as much as possible. "A terrible month with very long days and worries. I hope no one has to go through this." In the night from Sunday 5 to Monday 6 September hostage software from hackers penetrated the computer systems of IJmond Werkt. In a sophisticated way, cyber criminals gain access to bank details, home addresses, career data and citizen service numbers (BSN) of clients, employees and former employees of the company. To make matters worse, the hackers announced via Twitter that this would be posted on the dark web, a hidden online environment for illegal trade in stolen data, for example. Some 9,000 (former) employees and clients of IJmond Werkt - people with a distance to the labour market - were therefore informed last week by letter of the possible publication of their data. The company itself still has no access to the hacked system.
Time for an interview with Erwin van Hardeveld, director of IJmond Werkt. "At what point did you think: this is not good enough?
"That was as early as Monday 6 September at half past seven in the morning when I came in. The ICT department drew my attention to the traces of burglary that had been found in the system. All the systems had been shut down by then, and I thought: this is really wrong."
How big are your concerns at the moment?
"You can still call the concerns big, because we are still in the unknown. There has been a hack, but we cannot see what has been stolen or published on the darkweb. That is also the reason why we sent a letter to some 9,000 employees and clients with a warning. We hope that they will be vigilant and take into account that their data may be misused."
Cyber attack 'potentially serious'
Jan van Kampen from Beverwijk is an ethical hacker and describes the hack as 'potentially serious'. "You can do a lot with the data mentioned in the letter to the employees. I wonder if they only have citizen service numbers, or also copies of ID cards and passports. Because then you can go much further with abuse.""According to Van Kampen, the company probably also had 'dumb luck' that they were hacked. He points out that it is now important to inform people properly about the possible consequences and dangers. "Fortunately they are taking it seriously, judging by the reporting.
No ransom demands have been made. Are you being blackmailed or pressured in any other way?
"No, the fact that no ransom was asked is also quite remarkable. It is good to know that we immediately warned the Dutch Data Protection Authority. And Fox-IT, a specialised agency, is investigating the scope and nature of the hack. This does not only concern IJmond Werkt. Other municipalities will also read this report carefully."
Is it conceivable that you know more about the hackers and their motive, but that you cannot share that with us?
"There has been no contact with hackers. So there has been no blackmail or ransom demand in any other way. I am not going to lie about that. It is true that they still have a key which could give us access to the files. You could possibly ask for it through obscure channels on the dark web, but I'm not going to do that. You could also say: we are going to rebuild the files in our system."
Source: https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/292549/gijzelsoftware-laat-ijmonds-bedrijf-nog-niet-los-zorgen-zijn-groot
Industrial group VDL Groep hit by digital attack
Industry group VDL Groep, with its head office in Eindhoven, was hit by a digital attack last night. According to a spokesperson, it was an attack "which affected the overall business operations". The group includes 105 companies, also in Asia and America. VDL Groep tells the NOS that all companies were affected, but not all to the same degree. It is clear, however, that at various companies production is not possible or only partially possible. For example, VDL Nedcar in Born did not start production this morning. This means that around three-quarters of the 4,000 employees at the car factory have stayed at home. In addition to cars, VDL also produces buses and develops semi-finished products.
Hostage software
Due to the digital attack, it is not possible to send e-mails at the company. It is unknown whether this was a ransomware attack, with hostage software.
VDL Groep employs more than 15,000 people worldwide. The company had a turnover of 4.7 billion euro in 2020.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2400694-industrieconcern-vdl-groep-getroffen-door-digitale-aanval
VDL employees take leave due to cyber attack
Employees of VDL have taken leave because of the cyber attack. The company has been closed down since last week due to a hack. This is confirmed by a VDL spokesperson after reports in the Financieele Dagblad.
Consultation
According to a spokesperson, "employees have taken leave in good consultation". It is not known whether this also concerned locations in Limburg. In Limburg VDL has branches in Born (Nedcar), Venlo, Weert, Nederweert, Swalmen, Sevenum and Hoensbroek.
Start-up
Nedcar will restart the production of cars on Wednesday. The company will start with the afternoon shift, which starts around 15:00. "All the signals are green," said the spokesperson. Nedcar announced earlier that the company can produce in a "safe digital environment". The company does not want to say whether this concerns the old digital environment.
Millions
Job Kuijpers, chairman of the board of the Hague digital security company EYE Security, suspects that it is a case of hostage software. It is probably a fluke by criminals. "If they then find out they are dealing with a company like VDL, the ransom will soon be in the millions," says Kuijpers.
Source: https://www.1limburg.nl/medewerkers-vdl-nemen-verlof-op-door-cyberaanval
Four users of a Philips device used for the treatment of sleep apnea, the Dreamstation 1, are holding the manufacturer liable for health complaints. Their lawyer Mark de Hek has informed the company of this in a letter. The users say they suffer from headaches or breathing problems or have cancer. Some of these conditions are also mentioned in safety warnings about the device. The users want to investigate whether the use of the Dreamstation 1 has led to their health complaints. In the Netherlands, about 50,000 of these devices have been sold. Sleep apnoea is when a person's breathing stops during sleep. The machine then ensures that breathing continues.
Safety warning
Last summer Philips warned about problems with the sound-absorbing foam in the Dreamstation 1. People were therefore advised to stop using the device and to contact a doctor. But for some users, sleeping without the machine was not possible for medical reasons. "Some of my clients are still using the device," says lawyer De Hek. "They don't know if it's safe, but if they stop they'll be tired all day, have headaches or maybe fall asleep at work or in the car. So it's choosing between two evils." In the safety warning, Philips says it has received complaints about black particles in the mask and elsewhere. Users are also said to have suffered from headaches, coughing and chest pressure.
Acknowledging liability
According to De Hek, Philips must now acknowledge liability, so that the consequences of using the device can be investigated. That investigation should be done and paid for by Philips, says the lawyer. "It would be the opposite world if my clients had to do this research and pay for it. Philips brought these problems into the world, so it should also take responsibility for them." According to him, the studies should help to translate the general warning into the situation of individual users. "There is a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty among my clients now." Should the investigations show that his clients' health problems were caused by use of the apnea device, Philips must compensate for those damages, the lawyer says.
Solve the problem as quickly as possible
Philips said it could not comment on the liability claim. "I would like to reiterate that we take the safety notification regarding these devices very seriously and that we strive to solve this as well and as quickly as possible," says a spokesperson.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2403441-gebruikers-apneu-apparaten-stellen-philips-aansprakelijk-voor-gezondheidsklachten
NVWA warns against glass splinters in counterfeit 'Nescafe Gold' instant coffee
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is warning consumers against counterfeit 'Nescafé Gold' instant coffee after glass and plastic shards were found in the jars. The product is not made by Nestlé, the producer of Nescafé Gold. The splinters are larger than 7 millimetres and can get stuck in the throat when drinking the coffee. The NVWA has classified the instant coffee as a harmful product. The jars have been removed from the shops. Specifically, the jars are labelled 'Nescafé Gold' on a German-language label, with production code 60820814B1 9:15 and a best-before date of 10-2021. The NVWA advises consumers not to drink the fake coffee with the German label and to throw it away. According to the authority it is an illegal product and it is unclear who the manufacturer is. It is also unclear how many jars have ended up on the shelves in the Netherlands.
Source: https://nos.nl/l/2402547
Aldel aluminium plant largely suspends production due to high gas prices
Aluminium factory Aldel in Delfzijl will stop production for 60 to 70 percent starting Sunday because of high gas prices. Financial director Eric Wildschut tells Nieuwsuur. As of today, the production is already scaled down. Due to the increase in gas prices, it is no longer profitable to continue on the normal basis, says Wildschut. "We are already paying 4500 euros in electricity costs per tonne of aluminium and the selling price is 2500 per tonne," says Wildschut. "So that is absolutely not sustainable."
Dismissals not excluded
The employees have been informed by email today. "The staff are extremely worried," says Klaas Pijper, chairman of the works council. Aldel has some 400 employees. Wildschut does not rule out the possibility that people will have to be laid off. They will talk to the trade unions after the weekend. The price of gas has been rising rapidly recently. More and more companies are getting into trouble.
Source: https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2400724-aluminiumfabriek-aldel-legt-productie-grotendeels-stil-om-hoge-gasprijzen
IJmonds company is not yet letting go of its hostage software: "Concerns are great"
A hack with hostage software at IJmond Werkt in Beverwijk still holds the organisation in its grip. Director of the company Erwin van Hardeveld has been on a rollercoaster ride since the cyber attack at the beginning of September to limit the damage as much as possible. "A terrible month with very long days and worries. I hope no one has to go through this." In the night from Sunday 5 to Monday 6 September hostage software from hackers penetrated the computer systems of IJmond Werkt. In a sophisticated way, cyber criminals gain access to bank details, home addresses, career data and citizen service numbers (BSN) of clients, employees and former employees of the company. To make matters worse, the hackers announced via Twitter that this would be posted on the dark web, a hidden online environment for illegal trade in stolen data, for example. Some 9,000 (former) employees and clients of IJmond Werkt - people with a distance to the labour market - were therefore informed last week by letter of the possible publication of their data. The company itself still has no access to the hacked system.
Time for an interview with Erwin van Hardeveld, director of IJmond Werkt. "At what point did you think: this is not good enough?
"That was as early as Monday 6 September at half past seven in the morning when I came in. The ICT department drew my attention to the traces of burglary that had been found in the system. All the systems had been shut down by then, and I thought: this is really wrong."
How big are your concerns at the moment?
"You can still call the concerns big, because we are still in the unknown. There has been a hack, but we cannot see what has been stolen or published on the darkweb. That is also the reason why we sent a letter to some 9,000 employees and clients with a warning. We hope that they will be vigilant and take into account that their data may be misused."
Cyber attack 'potentially serious'
Jan van Kampen from Beverwijk is an ethical hacker and describes the hack as 'potentially serious'. "You can do a lot with the data mentioned in the letter to the employees. I wonder if they only have citizen service numbers, or also copies of ID cards and passports. Because then you can go much further with abuse.""According to Van Kampen, the company probably also had 'dumb luck' that they were hacked. He points out that it is now important to inform people properly about the possible consequences and dangers. "Fortunately they are taking it seriously, judging by the reporting.
No ransom demands have been made. Are you being blackmailed or pressured in any other way?
"No, the fact that no ransom was asked is also quite remarkable. It is good to know that we immediately warned the Dutch Data Protection Authority. And Fox-IT, a specialised agency, is investigating the scope and nature of the hack. This does not only concern IJmond Werkt. Other municipalities will also read this report carefully."
Is it conceivable that you know more about the hackers and their motive, but that you cannot share that with us?
"There has been no contact with hackers. So there has been no blackmail or ransom demand in any other way. I am not going to lie about that. It is true that they still have a key which could give us access to the files. You could possibly ask for it through obscure channels on the dark web, but I'm not going to do that. You could also say: we are going to rebuild the files in our system."
Source: https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/292549/gijzelsoftware-laat-ijmonds-bedrijf-nog-niet-los-zorgen-zijn-groot
Industrial group VDL Groep hit by digital attack
Industry group VDL Groep, with its head office in Eindhoven, was hit by a digital attack last night. According to a spokesperson, it was an attack "which affected the overall business operations". The group includes 105 companies, also in Asia and America. VDL Groep tells the NOS that all companies were affected, but not all to the same degree. It is clear, however, that at various companies production is not possible or only partially possible. For example, VDL Nedcar in Born did not start production this morning. This means that around three-quarters of the 4,000 employees at the car factory have stayed at home. In addition to cars, VDL also produces buses and develops semi-finished products.
Hostage software
Due to the digital attack, it is not possible to send e-mails at the company. It is unknown whether this was a ransomware attack, with hostage software.
VDL Groep employs more than 15,000 people worldwide. The company had a turnover of 4.7 billion euro in 2020.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2400694-industrieconcern-vdl-groep-getroffen-door-digitale-aanval
VDL employees take leave due to cyber attack
Employees of VDL have taken leave because of the cyber attack. The company has been closed down since last week due to a hack. This is confirmed by a VDL spokesperson after reports in the Financieele Dagblad.
Consultation
According to a spokesperson, "employees have taken leave in good consultation". It is not known whether this also concerned locations in Limburg. In Limburg VDL has branches in Born (Nedcar), Venlo, Weert, Nederweert, Swalmen, Sevenum and Hoensbroek.
Start-up
Nedcar will restart the production of cars on Wednesday. The company will start with the afternoon shift, which starts around 15:00. "All the signals are green," said the spokesperson. Nedcar announced earlier that the company can produce in a "safe digital environment". The company does not want to say whether this concerns the old digital environment.
Millions
Job Kuijpers, chairman of the board of the Hague digital security company EYE Security, suspects that it is a case of hostage software. It is probably a fluke by criminals. "If they then find out they are dealing with a company like VDL, the ransom will soon be in the millions," says Kuijpers.
Source: https://www.1limburg.nl/medewerkers-vdl-nemen-verlof-op-door-cyberaanval
Translated Dutch to English with www.DeepL.com/Translator