Cybersec completes Netherlands and returns to Asia January 2025
The exhibition floor during the first edition of Cybersec Asia (2024).
Cybersec is right between two trade shows. Early November the event was in Utrecht, the Netherlands and the third week of January it will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. Time for a look back and a look ahead.
TEXT: EDITORIAL STAFF CYBERSEC 365 IMAGES: JAARBEURS
Cybersec Asia 2025 is jointly organized with Thailand International Cyber Week 2025. The event is powered by the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA). Cybersec Asia is set to return on January 22-23, 2025, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC). The event, promises to bring together the brightest minds, leading organizations, and innovative solutions in the cybersecurity realm.
The global cybersecurity market has witnessed significant growth, with investments reaching USD 190.4 billion in 2023 and projected to grow to USD 298.5 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 9.4% during the forecast period. In the Asia-Pacific region, Thailand has emerged as a leader, securing the 7th position globally in the 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), reflecting its commitment to enhancing cybersecurity measures.
With over 5,000 attendees, 140+ exhibitors and sponsors, and 100+ world-renowned speakers, Cybersec Asia is more than an exhibition – it’s a hub for meaningful collaboration, strategic networking and knowledge-sharing.
Event highlights
Cybersec Asia in co-operation with the Thailand International Cyber Week 2025 (powered by NCSA) offers a dynamic mix of conference sessions, hands-on workshops, and a vendor exhibition to address the most pressing issues in cybersecurity. The conference spans six key themes, including Cybersecurity Strategy & Governance, Human Factors in Cybersecurity, Cloud & Infrastructure Security, and Data Protection, Privacy & Identity Management. Attendees will gain insights into topics like Web3 security, quantum cryptography, zero trust architecture, and AI-powered threat detection. Additionally, workshops will provide practical training for professionals at all skill levels, equipping them with the latest tools and techniques to tackle emerging threats.
The event’s networking opportunities are designed to foster collaboration and innovation. The exhibition floor, covering over 1,800 m² with pavilions from Singapore, India, Israel and Taiwan, will showcase the latest products and solutions from global cybersecurity leaders. Attendees can also connect at exclusive events, such as the invite-only VIP Networking Event and the vibrant after show party. With a stellar lineup of speakers, including Jay Bavisi (Founder and CEO of EC-Council, USA) , Daniel Lewis (KPMG, UK) Suthat Krongchon (President Thai IoT Association, Thailand) and Abbas Kudrati (Asia’s Chief Cybersecurity Advisor of Microsoft, Australia) Cybersec Asia 2025 is the ultimate platform for industry leaders, government officials and tech enthusiasts to exchange ideas, forge partnerships, and shape the future of cybersecurity.
Meaningful discussions DURING Cybersec Asia 2024.
Collaborative platform
‘Cybersec Asia 2025 is where technology meets strategy and innovation meets opportunity,’ said Alexander Farkas, Senior Project Manager of Cybersec Asia. ‘This event is more than a conference – it’s a collaborative platform where stakeholders from around the world come together to address the challenges and opportunities in cybersecurity. We are proud to partner with leading organizations like EC-Council, CREST, AiSP, NECTEC, CIPAT and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to drive meaningful discussions and foster advancements in the industry.’
Cybersec Netherlands 2024
On 6 and 7 November 2024, the second edition of Cybersec Netherlands was organised in the Utrecht Jaarbeurs. More than three thousand visitors came to a packed speaker programme, well-known and surprising attendees on the exhibition floor and the opportunity to network. We toured the stands, dived into an escape room and attended a book presentation.
Dutch Railways
Among the often dark business casual clothing of the visitors, the bright yellow polo shirts of employees of the Dutch Railways stand out quite a bit. Pentester Marlin is at the stand, who as a red teamer professionally ‘tries to break’ the systems of the Dutch Railways every day. Her colleague Dennis is a supply chain and risk manager within the seventy-person cyber team of the railway company. The duo, who are not named for security reasons, say that they come into contact with new colleagues via Cybersec Netherlands. Finding staff is a major challenge for the Dutch Railways, says their cyber director Dimitri van Zantvliet.
When asked about attacks on the Dutch Railways, Dennis points to a DDoS attack on the Municipal Transport Company in Amsterdam that had consequences for several partners in the transport chain. ‘Fortunately, we were able to repel that at the Dutch Railways’, he says. Marlin, who looks at the trains from her role as a pentester, often has to explain to people that the train systems and the wifi are strictly separate systems. According to her, the public has the incorrect idea that passengers could influence the train via wifi.
The exhibition floor of Cybersecurity Netherlands 2024 (photo: Michiel Ton).
Igloos and escape room
There are eight igloos on the exhibition floor in which various presentations are continuously held with titles such as: ‘Digitization puts pressure on ot’ and ‘Email Security: A journey through time and challenges for the near future’. The speaker program is entirely in English. ‘Tools are useless, unless you train your people’, Judah van Wees of Barracuda teaches in one of the white dome tents.
Visitors can also enter an escape room, such as at the Thales stand. During the two days of the exhibition, dozens of visitors played the game. Some are outside again within three minutes, but for most it is still a challenge to decipher the code within ten minutes. ‘Hints are regularly requested’, says Thales sales manager Dominique Ros.
Eamon McFadyen (left) with his colleagues from NinjaOne.
NinjaOne
At the stand of NinjaOne, a Texan-based supplier of an endpoint management platform, is Eamon McFadyen. The Dutchman with Scottish roots works with his team from Berlin, where NinjaOne’s European branch is located. The company, which has three hundred employees in Europe and approximately 1,200 people on its payroll worldwide, supplies to companies including car company Nissan and chipmaker Nvidia. The laptops and mobile phones of employees of meal assembler Hello Fresh are also secured via NinjaOne’s management platform.
The company is currently transitioning from a party that mainly provides its services via managed service providers (MSPs) to a provider that mainly delivers directly to the end customer. The question of whether Donald Trump’s recent victory in the American presidential elections leads to concerns about data sovereignty among customers is dismissed by a colleague of McFadyen: ‘We are fully GDPR compliant.’
Brenno de Winter
During the event in the Utrecht Jaarbeurs, privacy activist and security expert Brenno de Winter presented his latest book: ‘The Validation Crisis’. In it, he outlines numerous examples of companies and organisations that use technology, such as AI systems, but do not properly validate the outcome of these systems, which poses a risk to customers and citizens.
De Winter, speaking on the main stage, points to tech optimism and ‘uncritical trust’, particularly from suppliers and users. During his presentation, for which twenty minutes is actually too short, he offers tools, solutions and lines of thought to better validate these systems. He also announces that he will appeal a lawsuit against Bunq. De Winter demands openness about an AI system that the bank uses for customer research.
Cybersec Netherlands 2024: Relive the Highlights of an Unforgettable Event
Cybersec Netherlands 2025
The next edition of Cybersec Netherlands will take place on September 10 and 11, 2025 at the Royal Jaarbeurs in Utrecht.
