Safe surfing during the Belgian campaign, edition 2024

This guide, entitled Safe surfing during the Belgian general election campaign, provides recommendations on how to enhance the security of the various digital tools you use on a day-to-day basis. Elections form the cornerstone of the democratic process. Terrorist groups, criminals or political actors may try to influence the outcome. As a result, political parties and their candidates are a significant potential target. In this context, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)[1] has highlighted the disruptive effects of chatbots and the manipulation of information by artificial intelligence (AI). It observed approximately 2,580 incidents, many of them targeting public administrations, between July 2022 and June 2023. This guide aims to provide you with all the information you need to improve your cybersecurity, limit the associated risks and reduce your digital vulnerabilities. Most of these tips and tricks will probably seem obvious to you and you might indeed already be applying them. If not, this document will help you to step up the protection of your interests and of your digital security. Furthermore, it is essential that those around you also do all they can to protect themselves. So share these tips and tricks with your family and friends! The guide Safe surfing during the Belgian general election campaign is an initiative of Belgian State Security (VSSE), the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) and the General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS). Each of these bodies contributed its own expertise to the development of this guide.   [1] ENISA Threat Landscape 2023, Impact of social engineering & information manipulation campaigns. See also Chapter 4 'Addressing FIMI During Electoral Processes' in 2nd EEAS Report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats (January 2024).