Select Cybersecurity Week in The Hague kicks off

What's happening?

The international city of peace and justice is a global hub for cybersecurity. Acknowledging the threats and opportunities of the digitizing world, the city prioritizes sharing knowledge, investing in cyber awareness and hosting many organizations that work on cybersecurity solutions. During the Cybersecurity Week, everything comes together. The many events provide opportunities to network, meet key players, discuss the latest developments, share knowledge and create awareness.

During the International Kick-Off on September 30, the city will welcome delegations from Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Norway, the UK, the US and other countries at the HSD Campus to highlight the role of global collaboration and partnerships in addressing shared cybersecurity risks.

On October 1 and 2, the ONE Conference takes place at the World Forum. This is Europe’s leading cybersecurity event focused on knowledge sharing and networking. A wide variety of topics will be addressed, from highly technical subjects such as malware detection, incident response, and law enforcement cases to less technical subjects, such as partnerships between the public and the private domain, governance and recent cybersecurity research.

On October 3 and 4, The second Conference organized by Women4Cyber will take place at the Louwman Museum. The event will host key institutions like Europol and the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre. Topics include AI, cybercrime, impact of regulation, insights from CISOs, hybrid threats and social engineering.

To find the full list of events, go to the Cybersecurity Week page.

Hâck the Hague

The event Hâck The Hague also returns on September 30. This sixth edition is about operational technology, also known as ‘IT in the outdoor space’. In the city hall, thirty specialized ethical hackers will be challenged to find vulnerabilities in the operational technology of the municipality.

Earlier this year, Jeroen Schipper, CISO of the Municipality of The Hague, became CISO of the Year. We spoke to him about his role, threats and opportunities, and the importance of Hâck The Hague.

“In The Hague, we regularly work in the trenches of the cyber war,” Jeroen said. “The Municipality of The Hague has a distinct threat profile, having many international organizations, international courts, embassies, ministries, and the Royal Family located in this city. We experience the reality of these threats every day. If, for instance, something appears in the news about the prosecution of possible war criminals at the International Criminal Court, we know that we as a city will be attacked digitally within the next 48 hours. This makes my role an important one: I’m actively building a more secure world, together with my team.”

One of the ways to do so is by practicing, Jeroen added. “My goal is to build digital resilience. We don’t just focus on securing the systems, we want to make sure we are prepared when something actually happens. This is why we practice a lot and train people in cyber crisis management. Our motto is ‘security by transparency’: everything we generate is available freely so that other organizations can also benefit from our lessons learned.”

And these initiatives are successful, Jeroen said: “My role as CISO is to explain a complex sector in a simple way. And this is working: with initiatives such as Hâck The Hague, I see awareness and interest growing. Inside and outside of the organization.”

Focus on OT

During this year’s Hâck The Hague, the focus is on operational technology (OT), Jeroen says. “We have a lot of OT in the Netherlands: think about movable bridges, tunnels, traffic control systems, and cameras. It is extremely important that we protect these tools. For example, when camera images are intercepted, this can cause a privacy leak. If all the traffic lights at an intersection can be turned green at the same time, this causes disruption. A pumping station that is hacked can cause a flood. The systems and devices that are tested are also accessible to malicious parties. During Hâck The Hague, we try to gain insight into the possible weak spots in a safe and controlled manner.”

“An OT hack can lead to disruptions in society fast. That is why we are prioritizing testing operational technology with this special edition of Hâck The Hague. When a vulnerability is found, we can immediately use it to secure environments worldwide that use the same OT. As the international city of peace and justice, cybersecurity is very important to The Hague. With regular internal checks, we continuously work on improving our digital security and resilience against cyber attacks.”

“By having your systems tested by honest hackers in a safe and controlled manner, you can find any vulnerabilities. It can be crucial whether a leak is found by honest hackers or by malicious persons. I prefer to know as soon as possible so that I can take appropriate action.”