Reading http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792250/IT_Threat_Ev..., I find it surprising that the Netherlands manages to be the best malware exporter in the world (third in 'production', close behind Russia and the USA (both with a much larger population), but also in the top 10 for 'least consumption', a list that neither Russia nor the USA made).
Does anybody have any idea how that comes about? The only reason I can think of is that Amsterdam is a huge node in the Internet backbone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_Internet_Exchange). Malware authors might want to host their stuff close to such nodes, so that they can distribute their wares efficiently.
The Netherlands has a long history of being a hub of international trade, from spices and bulbs to diamonds and IP packets. Add to that its tolerant attitude towards pornography, prostitution and drugs - compared even to much of Western Europe - and it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see organized crime diversifying beyond things like porn hosting (which benefits from the IXP you mention) into malware and identity theft too.
Does anybody have any idea how that comes about? The only reason I can think of is that Amsterdam is a huge node in the Internet backbone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_Internet_Exchange). Malware authors might want to host their stuff close to such nodes, so that they can distribute their wares efficiently.