I hacked the Dutch Tax Administration and got a trophy

The Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) sent me a trophy and formal letter of appreciation on behalf of the Dutch government.

The front engraving on the trophy playfully reads, “I hacked the Dutch Tax Administration and never got a refund”.

Together with the trophy was a formal letter of appreciation.

On behalf of the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, we would like to thank Jacob for participating in our Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure program. For that, we present this letter of appreciation to Jacob.

At the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, we consider the security of our systems a top priority. But no matter how much effort we put into system security, there can still be vulnerabilities present. For that, we warmly welcome people like Jacob as a particpiant in the Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure program.

We appreciate not only that you have reported a security issue to us, but also that you have professionally done this.

I would like to extend my thanks to the Belastingdienst Security Operations Center for sending me such a kind gift.

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Jacob Riggs

Jacob Riggs is a senior cyber security professional based in the UK with over a decade of experience working to improve the cyber security of various private, public, and third sector organisations. His contributions focus on expanding encryption tools, promoting crypto-anarchist philosophy, and pioneering projects centred on leveraging cryptography to protect the privacy and political freedoms of others.

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