Cybersecurity needs trust before a crisis

According to Jeroen van der Ham-de Vos, Associate Professor at the University of Twente, such a network is urgently needed. Cybersecurity issues often only receive broad attention once there is pressure, an incident or public concern. At that point, policymakers and politicians have to weigh up technical, legal and societal interests under significant time pressure. 

“What you want is for introductory conversations to have taken place before a crisis happens,” says Van der Ham-de Vos. “When there is already a relationship of trust, advice can be given calmly, rather than under pressure.” 

According to Van der Ham-de Vos, the recent problems surrounding DigiD show why this matters. When public concern arises, many experts, interests and perspectives come together at once. Policymakers and politicians then have to assess, under considerable time pressure, which information is relevant and which decisions need to be made. A network in which experts and policymakers already know each other can help ensure that knowledge is shared earlier, more calmly and in a better-informed way. 

During Hackers at the Hof, participants from government, policy and cybersecurity discussed current issues. These included sessions on AI and cybersecurity, where the same topic was explored from different perspectives, including those of Economic Affairs and Foreign Affairs. The implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act in the Netherlands and the use of open source within government were also discussed. 

The event generated new insights, perspectives and connections. More importantly, it showed the need for a structural network in which technical experts, researchers and policymakers can find each other more easily. The broad participation, including from different policy domains, showed that this need exists not only within the cybersecurity field, but also on the policy side. 

Ernst Noorman, Cyber and AI Envoy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also took part in the opening and panel session. In his role, he works on international cyber diplomacy and issues at the intersection of digital security, AI and geopolitics. 

For the University of Twente and the Digital Society Institute, this initiative closely aligns with the ambition to connect science, technology and society. Digital security is not only a technical issue, but also a governance and societal challenge. By helping researchers and professionals bring their knowledge into policy contexts, cybersecurity research can contribute to a more resilient digital society. 

The organisers are already looking ahead to a next edition. Hackers at the Hof is intended to become an annual initiative, with the ambition to involve more researchers in the network in the coming years.