Students from Fontys ICT hacked the municipality of Tilburg

Unique opportunity for students

Normally, it is prohibited to hack a municipality or other government institution. And although the students were not allowed to break into all systems, Let's Hack Tilburg offered upcoming professionals a unique opportunity to test their skills.

Vulnerabilities

The hacker event actually revealed a number of vulnerabilities by the students. Student Morris Werner and his team found some 'flaws'. "At first, it felt quite exciting because we were dealing with the real deal now. Of course, it is very educational to put our knowledge into practice in a legal way and to try to hack real systems. Finding some points naturally felt like a small victory," said Morris. His team was chosen as the best hackers and rewarded with great prizes.

Collaboration

Through the joint efforts of the students and the municipality of Tilburg, innovative solutions were created, says Ron Mélotte, Cyber Security lecturer. "The municipality can now solve the points found as quickly as possible, thereby improving digital security. This is important because they have access to a lot of important and privacy-sensitive information. As a municipality, you naturally want to know if there are vulnerabilities. We are proud that our students have been able to contribute in this way and positively influence society."