CISODAY 2026: Urgent Warning Over AI-powered Hacking & CISO of the Year

Quickly and easily searching for security vulnerabilities in software is now possible with artificial intelligence (AI). These AI systems work faster than humans and never get tired, something that could have major implications for the digital security of companies and organisations worldwide. Last thursday, hundreds of cybersecurity professionals gathered during CISODAY to discuss developments such as these. Security Delta (HSD) acted as an endorsing partner of CISODAY 2026.

CISODAY brings together cybersecurity leaders to share ideas, use cases, and best practices in an informal setting. This year, it was all about AI systems that are now capable of discovering serious vulnerabilities, including flaws that could allow hackers to infiltrate or disable computer systems. Some of these weaknesses may have existed unnoticed in software for years. “This evolution means vulnerabilities are now being discovered in systems that may be twenty years old,” Dimitri Van Zantvliet (chairman of the professional association CISO Platform) says. “We need to accelerate our efforts to fix these flaws before they can be exploited.”

“That is why companies and organisations must be able to respond extremely quickly,” warns Matthijs van Amelsfort, Director of the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). “In the past, it would take days before attackers exploited a vulnerability. Now it takes hours,” he says. “Soon, it could take mere minutes.”

According to van Zantvliet, the urgency of the issue is widely recognised within the cybersecurity community. “There is no panic, but it is certainly urgent,” he explains.

CISO of the Year 2026

Kay Behnke, CISO at Genmab, won the CISO of the Year Award. He earned the award for his efforts to integrate Genmab’s security team into existing business processes successfully. His contributions to industry organisations also played a role. Inge Bryan (former CEO of Fox-IT, among other roles) and Aart Jochem (former CISO of the Dutch government) are sharing this year’s Cybersecurity Achievement Award. The award was presented at CISODAY, which drew more than 300 cybersecurity professionals from large companies, the government, and non-profit organisations in the Netherlands.

Kay’s background in (medical) informatics, business administration, and cybersecurity consulting for the government and the private sector, along with his other contributions to the field, have made him a highly well-rounded leader in cybersecurity, according to the jury. “Kay demonstrated to the jury that he possesses a clear vision and a professional approach, and that he is capable of functioning within a large, complex organization where many interests are at stake,” said Martijn de Hamer, jury chair and acting CISO for the Dutch government.

The other two CISOs nominated for the award were Walter van Oostrum (Het CAK) and Wim Sonnemans (Philips). They, too, scored high to very high on nearly all selection criteria, with Van Oostrum’s long and partly informal career path standing out in particular, as well as Sonnemans’ academic background in cryptography and computer crime. “The candidates once again went through a rigorous selection process,” said jury member Lokke Moerel, “and I think we have a winner the community can be proud of.”

With the annual CISODAY and the award, the CISO Community aims to improve the CISO’s position within organisations and strengthen mutual cooperation. The ultimate goal is to raise the Netherlands’ cyber resilience to a higher level. The theme of this year’s event was “Ecosystem Resilience.”

CISODAY 2027

CISODAY 2027 will take place on 27 May 2027 in Nieuwegein. Interested in joining? Register now here!

Sources: NOS.nl & CISODAY.nl