The Netherlands - what digital country is this

rant on

What kind of "digital" country is this country (The Netherlands) actually?
No, this rant is not about politics. It is about government and companies not taking security and privacy seriously.

Let's take some examples:

1.
The Diginotar fiasco from last year that the country's digital infrastructure almost got to collapse.
Insufficient security checks and contra-checks by real experts, relying too much on paperwork only checks, not updated software, too late reported to official authorities, official authorities acting not pro-active, etc.

2.
Recently a big bank having big problems with online banking. And not once. As it seems both database and networks issues. Online banking is getting pushed more and more, you can hardly be without it anymore. But back-ups, no the bank doesn't to want tell whether they have it.

3.
Paying for travelling by trains and other means (not car) (the so-called "OV chipcard"). On-going issues. And if there is a problem, the consumer has to go through hoops to get his/her money back. But oh, the companies want so much the details of your travelling.

4.
Very recently: the biggest telecom company (KPN) was hacked.
Too late reported to the official authorities. Not updated software. At least full details of 500 users open into the public. Two millions mail accounts temporarily closed.

5.
I'd better not talk about digital medical information ......

/end of rant

 

Yeah, our government sucks at privacy and security

About the OV-chipcards, they store the gathered data for 7 years(!) and are also the country in Europe with the most wiretaps per year.

 

Seems to be a normal country to me.

 

sigh of relief - we're normal - what tells that about this digital world? -

KPN users can email again, at least it seems.
Was it only an hack on the site of the company Baby Dump?
See for example the Dutch news site Nu.nl

 

When I said normal I was talking about the digital world in Netherlands. Incompetence and mistakes are part of our lives, digital or not digital, state owned or private.

 

Absolutely true, fully agreed.

And add to that incompetence and mistakes a lost battle for privacy, a complete disdain of privacy (o yeah, they have the mouth full of words "we protect your privacy" but in the meanwhile.... "we give you better experience", "we give you great offers", but we want to know everything about you and so on), a complete disdain of security (o yeah, they have the mouth full of words about security but in the meanwhile they give d**n s**t about it). That's the world we're living in.

As Cudni has in her sig "once we only had ideals, today they are the only things we are missing".

 

Ough, there are still TAX advisors in The Netherlands who are using Diginotar certs. My goodness What digital country is this actually?

Warning (in Dutch) from the Department of Finance:
http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministe...gebruik-maken-van-diginotar-certificaten.html

 

Hi Jan, read also this and you will notice that it isn't so bad as it seems.
In fact, depends on the glasses you use, you also can say it isn't bad at all.

http://tweakers.net/nieuws/83309/ve...viseurs-hebben-nog-diginotar-certificaat.html

 

Hi Gerard,
Thanks.
I had hardly the time to read more about it the last days: far too busy with preparing for the appointment with my TAX advisor tomorrow (and yes, I have been in contact with him about it).
Sorry for the short reply.

 

https://SIDN (07 August 2012)

 

Thanks Gerard for the DNSSEC-article.

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At the other site of the coin there was recently the interview of Ronald Prins, director of Dutch security company Fox-IT, in the Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant warning again about the security state of things in The Netherlands. Only in Dutch:
http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2694...-nauwelijks-beveiligd-tegen-cyberaanval.dhtml