2024: ACTIVITY REPORT OF THE CYBER SECURITY COALITION

Our country urgently needs more cyber professionals. Yet, too few students choose to study in this domain. “It’s a shame, because a career in cyber security is full of opportunities and challenges,” says Vincent Defrenne. So NVISO took a novel approach to spark interest in cyber security: a competition, that for years the Coalition has been sponsoring. “The Cyber Security Challenge is specifically aimed at students and is based on the Capture the Flag principle, in which complex assignments must be solved in groups of four. Various aspects are discussed, such as cryptography, network security, and secure web and mobile applications.”

2024 marked the competition’s 10th edition, and interest has been increasing year after year. “Our first Challenge had 250 students participating; last year there were more than 850. It’s an impressive turnout, especially when you consider that most participants are not majoring in cyber security," Vincent explains. “So we are clearly succeeding in our aim. After all, it is also our intention to give those who have never come into contact with cyber a first glimpse into this domain. The competition can be a revelation for them.”

A stepping stone to the workplace

NVISO pulls out all the stops for the Challenge. In addition to a strong dose of realism, the assignments have a high fun content. “Our partner companies help devise the assignments, because we want to give students a taste of what awaits them in practice,” Vincent explains. “We not only want to increase awareness of cyber security, but also create a community in which young talent comes into direct contact with potential employers. In this case, these are not HR managers, but cyber professionals who deal with the topic on a daily basis.”

During their assignments, the students work closely with the cyber experts. “This allows them to immediately experience what it is like to be on the work floor, making the experience all the more unique.” For the companies themselves, the Cyber Security Challenge offers an opportunity to see young talent in action, and guide and inspire them. “After the competition, the companies may also connect with all participants. This opens the door to further discussions or even concrete collaborations. For many of the students, this can be the first step towards an internship, traineeship or a first job in the sector.”

An extensive prize package

Team Hastur, affiliated with UCLouvain, won the 2024 competition. Their reward? A trip to the prestigious DefCon hacking conference in Las Vegas and an exclusive SANS training: one of the most renowned cyber security training courses. “But the prizes are not the main motivator for participants. The entire competition is an unforgettable experience, especially for the 150 competitors who make it to the final weekend. Not only do they have access to an exclusive job fair, they can also attend a networking dinner with numerous professionals,” concludes Vincent Defrenne.

In today’s digital age, we share data both consciously and unconsciously through activities such as posting photos on Instagram, connecting to public Wi-Fi, browsing TikTok, or providing addresses for online purchases. While "sharing is caring" is mostly the motto, it is worth asking whether we should take more care in protecting our personal information.

Data is often referred to as the new gold, a valuable commodity sought after by companies and organisations that collect and trade it for profit. From targeted advertising to significant privacy breaches, the impact of (un)conscious data sharing is increasingly apparent. Despite the growing amount of personal data being collected, many of us remain unaware of the footprints we leave behind and how this information is used.

An interactive EDUbox for the classroom

The EDUbox on Data and Privacy aims to bridge this gap. Through this teaching package, secondary school students can explore how data is collected and used, and how to better manage the balance between sharing and privacy. It was developed in collaboration with VRT, DNS Belgium, Knowledge Centre Data & Society, Amai, Digital For Youth, Cyber Security Coalition, imec, Mediawijs, Ik beslis, Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit, the Flemish Human Rights Institute and Betternet.

EDUbox is an interactive educational concept developed by VRT to engage young people with important societal topics. Previous EDUboxes have covered themes such as social media, artificial intelligence, sustainability and democracy. They are designed to inform, inspire and empower young people to explore these subjects further. Each package includes text, audiovisual content, assignments and interactive tools, making it a valuable and free resource for teachers to achieve educational objectives.

Educating and empowering young people

Everything we do online leaves behind a trail of data. But this data can be misused. The EDUbox on Data and Privacy is an interactive teaching package designed to inform and educate secondary school students about the potential risks of data sharing.

Packed with expert insights, the EDUbox provides fact sheets, video materials, assignments and interactive tools. These resources help young people understand the concept of (online) privacy, how data is collected, the possible risks and how to maintain control over their own data.

What is inside the EDUbox Data and Privacy?

The EDUbox consists of five parts, which you as a teacher can go through with your students over two lessons.

In part 1, students take an online test and watch a video from Iedereen Beroemd to reflect on questions such as: What is (online) privacy? What information do I share, and what do I prefer to keep private? They evaluate their digital footprint and discuss in class how they already protect their data.

In part 2, students learn about different types of data, including direct, indirect, special and biometric data. They explore how data is collected, who has access to it, and what happens to it. Nils de Ridder from the Belgian Data Protection Authority explains why we should think carefully about accepting cookies and highlights the risks of sharing data.

In part 3, students are encouraged to make conscious decisions by stepping into the shoes of KLAAR presenter Anaïs Dockx. They make everyday choices on her behalf, such as whether to drive or use public transport, and discuss the implications for data and privacy.

In part 4, students explore the basics of data protection laws together. What are their rights? What obligations do companies have? Nils de Ridder explains the principles of the GDPR, and students receive practical tips for better safeguarding their privacy.

Want to know more? In Part 5, students are directed to further materials covering topics such as surveillance cameras, shared mobility, public Wi-Fi, beacons and sniffers. These resources are tailored to engage young learners.

Getting started

The EDUbox on Data and Privacy is available as an interactive website or a downloadable PDF from the EDUbox catalogue. Both formats are ideal for independent group work in the classroom. This EDUbox comes with a teacher’s guide, which includes additional information and suggestions for adapting the material to different classroom needs.

Founded in 1986, Interface3 is a Brussels initiative that seeks to create a diverse mix in the IT-sector. “We want to create role models who can each be very inspiring for other girls and women who want to take the plunge. When you see that the percentage of women in IT courses at colleges and universities has only decreased over the past few decades, you understand how important and necessary we are,” says Laure Lemaire, director of Interface3. 
 
This commitment has resulted in a training offer of a total of 13 courses, 8 of which are specific IT-courses. “All these trainings last a year and are very intensive. After the lesson period, with an average of 35 hours of classes per week, there is an 8-week internship at a company. By using this method, we hope to equip all participants with the skill set demanded by employers. Anyone who wants to follow one of these courses must be registered as a job seeker. For the participants, these programmes remain completely free,” she continues. 
 
Cybersecurity Training 

Because Interface3 clearly felt the growing need for skilled cyber profiles in recent years, the organisation started offering its own cybersecurity training two years ago. This initiative was primarily made possible thanks to the financial support of the Belgium Digital Skillfund. “At the end of the training, we want women to have the basic knowledge to recognise cyber threats, test systems for vulnerabilities, and understand the methodology of attacks,” explains training coordinator Ibtissam Derfoufi. 
 
To achieve this ambitious goal, strict admission requirements are imposed. “After an initial selection, the preliminarily selected candidates are given a one-week e-learning course. This helps us determine who can work sufficiently independently. Then follows a second selection test, after which we make our final selection of 15 candidates. This rigorous screening is crucial for the quality of the training,” says Derfoufi. 
 
The selected candidates are then immersed in a four-month programme. “This programme is very practice oriented. Women learn the tricks of the trade with us and can grow into fully-fledged penetration testers. At the end of this phase, the candidates can also participate in Capture the Flag, a worldwide concept that tests cyber skills through a game format. By allowing the women in our training to participate in this, we give them the chance to build their own name and network within the sector," Derfoufi explains. 
 
The power of reorientation  

Two years after the launch of this ambitious initiative, the results are clearly positive. Both the participants and the industry, which comes into contact with these women mainly through the concluding company internship, appreciate the high level,” says Lemaire. “In fact, I consider this our additional social mission: we want to show the corporate world the great added value of reorientation programmes. In practice, these are valuable workers, as they often have a much higher intrinsic motivation and have proven during the retraining that they can handle changes." 

This comes on top of the primary mission of strengthening gender diversity, including in the world of cybersecurity. “The societal value of this is beyond doubt. As a cybersecurity professional, it is important to be able to put yourself in the shoes of the hackers you are fighting against. Because this group is growing and becoming increasingly diverse, it is crucial that the defenders of tomorrow reflect this diversity as well,” says Derfoufi. 
 
In the coming years, the initiators hope to further raise the maturity level of this training. “The fact that the first generation of students, who completed the training a while ago, indicate that it has been a great added value for their career, shows that we are on the right track. But we are just at the beginning. For example, we have already made great strides in the level determination of our initial selection rounds compared to the very beginning, and we want to continue this trend,” they conclude unanimously. 
 

“Our goal is to facilitate access to the digital world,” begins Dimitri Verboomen, director of Libraries Without Borders (original name: Bibliothèques sans frontières). “This is essential because we live in a digital age. Access to this world means countless new opportunities. But for those who are excluded, the possibilities are significantly reduced. Studies by the King Baudouin Foundation show that this form of inequality affects about 40 percent of our compatriots today – about 4 million people.” 

Scope of training and courses 

To achieve this objective, the organisation, which has existed since 2017, has established several initiatives to train and support citizens of all ages with limited digital background towards digital autonomy and to introduce them to the risks and dangers of the digital world. Dimitri explains: “One of those initiatives, ‘Cyber Heroes,’ is an educational programme that teaches children to navigate the internet safely. We organise animations and trainings in and out of school for this. We try to approach cyber security from different angles, covering everything from phishing to preventive safety reflexes. We offer children, teachers and parents a set of activities to guide them through the safety challenges associated with internet use and digital citizenship.” 

“Since our launch, we have reached about 40,000 children and young people. Additionally, we train teachers in both Flanders and Wallonia. That group has since grown to just under 2,000. We are now increasingly focusing our activities on the out-of-school lives of young people and their parents, as the digital world plays a decisive role there as well,” he explains. 

On another spectrum, BSF works with adults to improve their digital skills and confidence in using new technologies. Through local partnerships, the association organises training and develops a community of Digital helpers. Called Digital Buddies, the volunteers can help citizens in need directly at their homes or during support sessions. “BSF helps create social links between communities and generations and therefore combat isolation and provide an immediate response to the participants who are usually in desperate need of help”, he continues.   

Increasing awareness and concern 

In recent years, much has changed for the better, including the general level of awareness around the dangers of the online world. “Especially in Wallonia, which initially lagged behind Flanders in this regard, there has been a clear catching-up movement,” says Dimitri. “With the increasing awareness, concern naturally rises as well, bringing us increasingly into the realm of online well-being. It’s obviously a very pertinent issue.” 

“Moreover, and perhaps even more importantly, we have noticed a significant gap among young people between what they know and what they do regarding online safety. For instance, they know it is important to use a strong password, but not all of them actually do it. The fact that surveys show that up to 25 percent of young people have fallen victim to hacking proves this.” 

The increased awareness also has a financial impact for the organisation. “We depend on various funding sources, ranging from public funds to private foundations, which make up the majority. Previously, we were almost exclusively funded by channels that did not publicly advertise their support, but this is changing. More and more funders see the value in publicly supporting efforts to enhance digital security and bridge the digital divide. This shows how the perception of this issue has changed.” 

Growth is not the (ultimate) goal 

Considering these evolutions, Bibliothèques sans Frontières has decided to formally join the Cyber Security Coalition later this year. “We firmly endorse the central objective of this umbrella organisation and believe that membership can add significant value for us, particularly through the tools and shared expertise,” Dimitri continues. 

In the coming years, Bibliothèques sans Frontières hopes the positive trends will continue, which will result in inevitable growth. However, that is not what it is working so hard to achieve. “The ultimate goal of our organisation is to disappear. That would mean the societal need we are addressing has been fulfilled. As long as this is not the case – and we are certainly talking about the long term – we will continue to strive,” Dimitri concludes with a smile.