The Dutch Government

In April 2020, the Dutch Government’s Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport launched a crowdsourcing event to find a tracing app that could support the fight against COVID-19. Responses poured in and 750 ideas were whittled down to eventually eight promising candidates.

Cyber practitioners from KPMG in the Netherlands, and across Europe were invited to assess the security and reliability of the shortlisted apps. The pressure to push a solution into development was intense, but we had to be certain that the sensitive information processed by the app would be secure.

The study was rapid yet rigorous, moving beyond standard code reviews and penetration checks to assess everything from encryption algorithms to authentication protocols. Unfortunately, vulnerabilities were found in the app designs, with serious weaknesses in data security, code quality and user functionality.

Sometimes a red light can be the most positive step you take towards the right solution. This is why we say you should always build cyber security and regulatory compliance into every stage of your digital journey. The more confident you are in the foundations, the bolder you can be with your innovation.