BärnHäckt 2025: Swiss Post focuses on security from the outset

Practical Swiss Post workshop on IT security

The focus of Swiss Post’s involvement on Saturday was an interactive workshop on secure codes, security principles and specific challenges for Swiss Post’s e-voting software. Swiss Post’s security champions gave the 34 participants exclusive insights into genuine security issues, and they were able to put their knowledge into practice right away. The format was received particularly enthusiastically by talented young people and ethical hackers because it offered more than just knowledge transfer:

• direct dialogue with Swiss Post’s security and development experts
• in-depth insights into the e-voting system
• open discussions on the current and future status of e-voting in Switzerland

Reflecting on the workshop, Xavier Monnat, E-Voting Product and Community Manager at Swiss Post, says: “Security must not come in only at the end of a project – it must be considered from the outset. BärnHäckt gave us a valuable opportunity to engage in dialogue with the community, familiarize people with our e-voting system and teach them about security in software development.”

Swiss Post quiz: three excellent people – one goal

As a highlight at the end of the workshop, Swiss Post invited participants to take part in a security quiz. Those who mastered the tricky tasks were able to benefit twice over from prizes. 

• The three winners each received a rare LEGO set and an exclusive invitation to “Hacktober” on 28 October 2025, the next interactive event with Swiss Post and other security experts.

The three winners are:

• Benedikt Dalferth, START Stuttgart
• Christian Ottenhaus, START Stuttgart
• Mei Yung Wong
  
  

The workshop was a powerful beacon of practical security education – and a further step towards a secure digital Switzerland. As Martina Schwab, head of Swiss Post’s bug bounty programme, puts it: “Swiss Post is taking responsibility for Switzerland’s digital future – and that includes involving the ethical hacker community”. Security is not an add-on – it is a basic requirement for our digital future. Swiss Post’s commitment to BärnHäckt 2025 demonstrates that it takes responsibility for security in the digital arena, actively embraces innovation and seeks open dialogue with the hacking community.