Belgian Federal Government invites Ethical Hackers for First-Ever 'Hack the Government' Event
CVE/FIRST VulnCon 2025 · Main Stage
This talk details the ambitious journey of the Belgian Federal Government to transition from a stance of prosecuting ethical hackers to actively inviting them to secure national digital assets. Presented by Susan Bush, Project Manager for the inaugural "Hack the Government" event, the session provides a candid look at the societal, legal, and operational challenges overcome to make this pioneering initiative a reality. While her colleague Johan Callaway, a renowned cybersecurity expert and the technical lead for the event, was unable to attend, Bush effectively conveys the depth of expertise and strategic planning involved.
AI review
A competent case study / war story talk about Belgium's 'Hack the Government' initiative — the right lane for this content, and judged accordingly. Susan Bush delivers an honest, detailed account of building a national ethical hacking program from scratch: the safe harbor legislation, the community mechanics, the operational scaffolding, and the results. It's not a technical research talk and shouldn't be graded as one. Within its lane, it earns its slot. The legal framework details are genuinely useful for any government or large org trying to stand up a vulnerability disclosure program…