Hack The Hague 2026

What is Hâck The Hague?
Since 2017, the municipality of The Hague has organised this hacking event, in which ethical hackers are challenged to find vulnerabilities in The Hague’s computer systems. The hackers help to discover, assess, and resolve weak spots. This is important, because cybercriminals can exploit these same vulnerabilities. They do so by breaking into systems and altering or stealing data for criminal purposes.

With Hâck The Hague, the municipality aims to further strengthen its digital security and ensure that residents, businesses, and the municipality itself gain greater awareness of digital security.

Participating hackers
Participating hackers must agree in advance to the rules of the game (Rules of Engagement) and comply with the Responsible Disclosure policy. The group that ultimately qualifies for a prize will present their findings to the audience, consisting of (participating) hackers and suppliers of the municipality’s systems.

Looking back: Hâck The Hague 2024
During the previous competition, on Monday 30 September 2024, 40 ethical hackers spent six hours testing the operational technology (OT) of the municipality of The Hague. Among other things, traffic lights, EV charging stations, a test setup of movable bridges, a pumping station setup, and cameras were put under the microscope. The hall of The Hague City Hall was filled with desks full of laptops and tools, while visitors who came to apply for a new passport encountered hackers attempting to read out laptops, unscrew cameras, and test whether the Koningstunnel was accessible via a test simulator. Several unique vulnerability reports came in, all of which have since been resolved.