Municipalities of Zoetermeer and Rotterdam Strengthen Cyber Resilience through Hackathons

The Municipalities of Zoetermeer and Rotterdam are strengthening their cyber resilience through various hackathon events for students. During these events a group of students will attempt to find vulnerabilities within the municipality's systems, allowing them to resolve these and giving the students a chance to take a hands-on approach to IT and enhance their knowledge.

ZeroDayZoetermeer

On Tuesday, 8 October 2024, the ZeroDayZoetermeer: Hack the Municipality event took place at the Dutch Innovation Factory. A total of 38 students from MBO Rijnland, The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Leiden University of Applied Sciences, took on the challenge of testing the digital security of the Municipality of Zoetermeer. Their task was to discover vulnerabilities that the municipality itself had not yet identified.

Most of the teams discovered minor vulnerabilities and two of the seven groups even identified potentially more critical vulnerabilities. The results will soon be discussed internally, and resolved by the municipalities and partners. 

The event concluded with a ceremony where Ctrl Alt Defeat was awarded first place, followed by Cyber Squad, and Hague Hackers won the third place. The winners received cash prizes, and one student was awarded VIP access to the Hack the Box platform to further develop her ethical hacking skills.

The event was made possible by the municipality Zoetermeer and the Dutch Innovation Factory. Furthermore, thanks to the Dutch Innovation Factory, students from MBO Rijland without any experience were also able to participate, while being guided by a guest lecturer of the DIVD Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure.

#Hack010 in Rotterdam

Another hackathon event that will be held during Cybersecurity Month is the 4^th edition of the hacking event #Hack010. This event is organised by the Municipality of Rotterdam, and is set to take place on 17 October 2024.

Atotal of 50 students from institutions such as Technical College Rotterdam, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, and Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam, together with 20 ethical hackers, will test the Municipality of Rotterdam's systems for vulnerabilities. Lessons learned during the Hack the Hague hackathon during Cybersecurity Week were used to help improve this upcoming edition.

Information security is of great importance to the Municipality of Rotterdam, which is exposed to digital threats on a daily basis. By engaging ethical hackers to identify and fix vulnerabilities, they strengthen the security of their IT systems and minimise risks.

Collaborating to attract IT talent and business in South-Holland

These events contribute to the ambition of ‘IT Verband Zuid-Holland’ (ITVZH) coalition, an initiative of WE-IT Zuid-Holland (The Hague University of Applied Science), Dutch Innovation Factory, IT Campus Rotterdam, and Security Delta (HSD). Their multi-year programme focuses on enhancing IT education, training, and fostering collaboration between businesses and educators, ensuring a steady flow of skilled IT professionals for SMEs in the region.