Experts share insights during the Night of Digital Security: ‘The enemy is often invisible’
image: Arash Nikkhah
The digital age offers unprecedented opportunities: information is always accessible, systems are interconnected, and processes are automated. However, these developments also give rise to new threats. During the Night of Digital Security on 26 May at the Wijnhaven building, more than experts shared their knowledge in this field.
Monday evening kicks off with a keynote lecture by Professor Bibi van den Berg. Her talk, titled ‘Welcome to the Wonderful World of Digital Security’, sets the tone for the evening.
In her lecture, the professor highlights how young this field is and what the major current challenges are: 'Whereas wars used to be fought physically, it’s now possible to cut power to entire regions from a distance. Developments are moving at lightning speed. Someone can break into your data, while you still have access to it yourself. How dangerous is that? What are governments, companies and citizens themselves doing to get a grip on this?'
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Asia Tall Diouk, toekomstig deelnemer cyberbootcamp Challenge The Cyber -
Hoogleraar Bibi van den Berg tijdens haar openingslezing -
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Chiara Anfuso promoveert op cyber-incidentvoorbereiding en responsstrategieën -
Cristian Hesselman is hoogleraar Trusted Open Networking bij de Universiteit Twente -
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Cristina del Real is Assistant Professor in Cyber Crisis -
Daan Keuper is hoofd van de afdeling Security Research bij Computest -
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Elina van 't Zand-Kurtovic is docent Criminologie bij het Instituut voor Strafrecht & Criminologie -
Erik de Jong is Chief Research Officer bij Tesorion en geeft leiding aan het CERT, het Red Team en het Threat Intelligence team van Tesorion -
Hafida Aboulbarakat geeft cybersecuritylessen op basisscholen -
Henk van Ee is bestuurslid bij Challenge The Cyber en voorzitter van Stichting Cyberbrein -
Herbert Bos is hoogleraar beveiliging van computersystemen aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam en lid van de Cyber Security Raad -
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Jeroen Gaiser is plaatsvervangend CISO bij het ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat -
Jeroen van der Ham-de Vos is hoofddocent Cybersecurity Vulnerability Management in de vakgroep DACS -
Julia Prümmer is promovendus Cybersecurity Governance -
Koen Caminada, decaan FGGA -
Leonore ten Hulsen is promovendus in de Rechtsgeleerdheid aan het European University Institute en docent bij ISGA -
Lokke Moerel is een toonaangevend expert op het gebied van nieuwe technologieën en cybersecurity -
Marco Romagna is docent Criminologie -
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Nele Mentens is hoogleraar Toegepaste Cryptografie en Databeveiliging aan het LIACS en hoofddocent aan KU Leuven -
Parto Mirzaei is promovendus in Cyber Security en Public Governance -
Willemijn Aerdts is docent inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten bij Universiteit Leiden en lid van de Eerste Kamer -
Paul Ducheine is hoogleraar Cyber Warfare aan de faculteit Militaire Wetenschappen van de Nederlandse Defensie Academie -
Petra Oldengarm is directeur Cyberveilig Nederland -
Pim Takkenberg is general manager bij Northwave Investigation & Innovation en was als leider van het Team High Tech Crime betrokken bij grote onderzoeken naar cybercriminelen -
Sofian Fesenko is student Crisis and Security Management en bedenker van het educatief kaartspel 'Fun with security' -
Tommy van Steen is docent Cyber Security Governance bij Universiteit Leiden -
Zeki Erkin is associate professor in de Cyber Security Group, TU Delft
Allround cyberexperts
More than 350 interested attendees came to this unique event, including prospective students of the new Bachelor's in Cybersecurity & Cybercrime (starting in September 2025). Like this new degree programme, the event offers a multidisciplinary perspective on digital security, with contributions from law, criminology, technology and public administration. The line-up of speakers – including lecturers, government experts and other professionals – is extensive.
Debate, quiz & cyber exercise
Through interactive presentations, a House of Commons-style debate, a quiz and an exciting cyber exercise, the audience was engaged in a stimulating way with this complex and ever-changing world.
Paul Ducheine: Achilles’ heel of digital security
One of the speakers is Paul Ducheine, Professor of Cyber Warfare at the Faculty of Military Sciences at the Netherlands Defence Academy. In his lecture, he emphasises that the Achilles’ heel of digital security lies not only in technology, but especially in the invisible use of information as a tool of power. According to him, cyber warfare is characterised by a ‘fog of uncertainty’: in cyberspace, the enemy is often invisible, intentions are unclear, and effects are unpredictable. This makes an effective response difficult. We are heavily reliant on trustworthy information and systems—particularly now that digital operations are increasingly part of military strategy.
'Digital wars are not visible like tanks and missiles. They operate across different layers: cognitive, physical, and virtual'. The cognitive layer involves influencing perception and decision-making, for instance through disinformation. The physical layer concerns infrastructure such as servers and energy supplies. In the virtual layer, digital attacks take place, such as hacking or planting malware. This layered nature makes the battlefield all the more complex—and calls for an equally multifaceted defence.
Students of the new bachelor's programme in attendance
Prospective students of the new Bachelor's in Cybersecurity & Cybercrime were also present at the Night of Digital Security. Rosalie is eagerly awaiting her final exam results, but for now she’s on holiday and has time to immerse herself in her future studies. She says: ‘It’s a great evening to get a glimpse of the topics we’ll be covering next year. It’s all very current, so I hope to learn something tonight – and also to ask a few questions about the programme.’
Youri and Otto will also be starting the degree in September and see the Night of Digital Security as a chance to meet some fellow students in advance. ‘The programme brings together subjects from four different faculties,’ explains Youri, ‘and that broad approach really appeals to me.’ Otto agrees, describing the course as ‘very useful for the future.’
Willemijn Aerdts: intelligence in a new era
During the interview ‘Services with Secrets’, Willemijn Aerdts, university lecturer at Leiden University, took the audience – in conversation with colleague Parto Mirzaei – into the world of the AIVD and MIVD (the Dutch intelligence and security services). Although digital technology has profoundly changed the work of intelligence agencies, human intelligence remains crucial for interpreting data and gathering information. Using real-life examples, such as a foiled Russian cyberattack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the very real nature of digital threats was made clear.
The focus also shifted to the future: in addition to classic cyberattacks, there is growing concern about disruptions via satellites, internet cables and energy supplies. International cooperation between intelligence services is essential to counter such threats, but it also raises questions about checks and balances. How can democratic oversight be ensured and abuse of power prevented, especially when cooperation crosses national borders? Digital security requires not only technical resilience, but also political and administrative vigilance.
Digital security as a societal challenge
The Night of Digital Security showed that cybersecurity is about more than just technology. It touches on governance structures, the principles of the rule of law, and societal resilience. From cyberattacks to disinformation, each session offered fresh insights and raised urgent questions. The coming together of participants, speakers and disciplines sparked a lively debate on how the Netherlands can remain digitally resilient. The event marks the beginning of a permanent platform where education, research and practice intersect.
‘Digital security is not just a technical matter, but above all a societal and governance challenge,’ one speaker remarked. Cross-sector collaboration is essential to cut through the fog of digital threats.