Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity Launches Safeonweb.be for European Cybersecurity Month

Belgium's Centre for Cybersecurity runs Safeonweb.be, the platform known by 70-80% of the country's adult population that receives roughly 10 million suspicious email reports each year. The service sits at the centre of national efforts to flag phishing and other online threats before they reach individual inboxes.

Why the timing matters

The annual European Cybersecurity Month opens every October, and Brussels hosts the kick-off event. In 2024 the sessions ran from 2 to 4 October at the European Economic and Social Committee. The Belgian Cyber Security Coalition's Awareness Focus Group works with the Centre for Cybersecurity each year to shape the national campaign that launches during the month.

Brussels serves as headquarters for the Centre for Cybersecurity, which coordinates the work across the city and the wider country. The coalition's focus group meets regularly to align messages that reach both young users and older residents who shop or bank online.

Evidence on the ground

Campaign materials include the #SafeNotSorry initiative aimed at safe passwords for youth and separate guidance on online shopping and payment safety for elders. EDUbox Cybersecurity supplies free teaching materials for secondary schools. The Centre for Cybersecurity lists five core steps: recognise phishing, turn on two-factor authentication, install regular software updates, keep backups, and maintain ongoing education for individuals and teams.

These recommendations appear directly on the Safeonweb.be site and in coalition materials. The platform's volume of reports shows residents already use it to forward suspect messages for review.

Residents can visit Safeonweb.be to report suspicious emails and review the practical steps the Centre for Cybersecurity lists for daily use. The same resources remain available after European Cybersecurity Month ends.