Horticulture Cluster Gains Access to Up-to-date Cyber Threat Information

Access to the most up-to-date and relevant threat information is an important prerequisite for entrepreneurs to make decisions about the digital security of their business. However, to this date, critical economic sectors such as the Dutch horticultural cluster still have very limited access. For this reason, Connect2Trust and the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport are entering into a close collaboration. The threat information that Connect2Trust shares from, among others, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Dutch Security Reporting Point, will therefore become an integral part of the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport's services. Connect2Trust has been appointed as a recognised organisation by the Ministry of Justice and Security to share this intelligence.

Due to increasing digitalisation of horticulture, more and more entrepreneurs within the horticulture cluster are facing cyber incidents. Due to the complex chain dependency of the greenhouse horticulture cluster (supply, cultivation, trade), the entire sector suffers when chain partners cannot deliver due to a cyber incident. Ensuring digital security is therefore a joint task; it requires a chain approach. That approach is the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport: a joint counter for digital security for companies in the horticultural cluster, such as production companies, breeders, trade, and supply. To structurally increase the cyber resilience of this sector, access to the most up-to-date and relevant threat information is crucial. Through the cooperation with Connect2Trust, this is now being realised.

How does it work?

Connect2Trust has been designated by the Ministry of Justice & Security as the linking organisation (OKTT) within the national coverage system, which focuses on increasing cybersecurity of Dutch society. This means that Connect2Trust can provide its participants with both generic and specific cybersecurity threat information. This is done through an automated platform that allows participants in the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport to choose how they want to receive the information through various channels, and whether they want to play an active or passive role in it. In this way, all member companies can safely receive digital security information and distribute it with each other and specialised cybersecurity parties.

Connect2Trust also encourages opportunities to inform organisations that are in the chains of its participants. This creates an important cross-sector partnership, as it promotes not only the digital security of its participants, but also that of their regional and (cross) sectoral partners.

Raymond Bierens, Chairman Connect2Trust Foundation: "The collaboration provides Connect2Trust with the opportunity to provide threat intelligence to an entire sector and, from our cross-sector vision, to include the supply chain. We are proud of our active participants who have played a connecting role in the formation of this collaboration."

Bert Feskens, Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport programme manager: "Through this connection to Connect2Trust, the horticultural cluster will have access to threat information that is normally available to sectors that are designated as vital in the Netherlands only. This is a large step for the sector and shows that, as Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport, we play an important role in reaching solutions at sectoral level." 

Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport

The Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport was opened on 7 October 2022 and is an initiative of Delphy, Dutch Fresh Port, Royal FloraHolland, Glastuinbouw Nederland, Greenport West-Holland, GroentenFruit Huis, Hoogendoorn Automatisering, Interpolis-Achmea, Security Delta (HSD), the Digital Trust Centre, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, the Province of South-Holland and The Hague municipality (Kansen voor West II). For more information: www.cwgreenport.nl