Final event of #HTG2025 celebrates Belgium’s Ethical Hackers

Over the past two weeks, 71 participants - including 39 professionals and 32 students - have tested the security of selected public-sector systems, uncovering and responsibly reporting vulnerabilities under the Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) framework. See also our FAQ (enclosed)

This year’s targets included: 

• FPS BOSA (Federal Policy and Support) 
• ONVA/RJVA (National Office for Annual Holidays) 
• AFMPS/FAGG (Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products) 
• Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) 
• Federal and Local Police 
• Belgian Defence 

The closing ceremony will take place in Brussels (see practical details below), where the winners will be announced at 7:30 p.m. and awarded by the CCB’s Director General, Miguel De Bruycker. 

Growing momentum in responsible hacking 

Following the success of last year’s edition - which resulted in 84 unique vulnerability reports, including one impactful zero-day vulnerability that drew international attention - the 2025 edition has already shown increased engagement and technical depth. Last year, all vulnerabilities found were fixed shortly after the event. The goal has been achieved. 

Most of the vulnerabilities found in previous edition were of the type “cross-site scripting (XSS)”, an attack that happens when a hacker tricks a website into running malicious code, usually JavaScript, inside someone’s browser. So far, 266 reports have been received, of which 74 unique ones have already been validated. This year's results are impressive in terms of content due to the quality of the reports, which demonstrates the growing maturity and value of the community of ethical hackers in Belgium.

Building trust through collaboration 

The #HackTheGovernment initiative represents more than a technical exercise - it’s a nationwide collaboration that reinforces public trust and transparency. Through this program, citizens, students, and cybersecurity professionals work side by side with public institutions to identify and remediate vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. 

With this event, we want to give students a helping hand: we want to raise awareness of the study program and offer students a unique opportunity to work closely with professionals for two weeks. 

By recognising the contributions of Belgium’s ethical hackers, the CCB and its partners affirm their shared commitment to a safer and more resilient digital future. 

About #HackTheGovernment2025 

Coordinated by the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), the national authority for cybersecurity, #HackTheGovernment2025 fosters cooperation between government institutions, cybersecurity professionals, and citizens to strengthen the nation’s cyber resilience.
All reports are managed by a team of dedicated CCB members ensuring that any identified weaknesses are responsibly addressed. 

Practical details 

Venue (from 10:30)  

Quartier Papier, Zaventem - Fabrieksstraat 55/59, 1930 Zaventem