The foundation has been there for thirty years

The Netherlands has been taken to court by the European Commission. The reason: the government has still not converted the directive for the protection of vital sectors such as energy, transport, healthcare and digital infrastructure into national legislation. The Ministry of Justice and Security responds that ‘a good foundation is first needed’. That answer deserves a closer look.

The information security standards framework on which this relies, ISO 27001, has existed in the form of its predecessors since the 1990s. The European directive has been on the table for years. Moreover, legislation starts in Brussels and the Netherlands is a member and can simply participate, not only once the text is final. A foundation could and should have been in place a long time ago. How much more time does the government want?

OpenKAT 1.22 (Deanna): Faster work, quieter systems

We are proud of the release of OpenKAT 1.22 “Deanna”. This version is named after Deana, the mother of our mascot Keiko. She recently passed away. We honor her with this name and at the same time this release symbolizes a solid, reliable foundation. This release is all about one thing: performance. OpenKAT has been heavily optimized in many places. You will notice this immediately:

• Everything feels faster
• Systems are less burdened
• Analyzes run more efficiently and smoothly In other words, OpenKAT does the same job, but smarter and lighter.

Just works better In addition to the technical improvements, daily use was also taken into account:

Opinion: Keep DigiD out of American hands while you still can

“Digital autonomy must be the starting point for the government,” the government states in the coalition agreement. A sensible course. With the recent deal with a European cloud provider, the government is taking a step in the right direction, after years of putting all data and processes in the American cloud without hesitation. However, now that Solvinity, the supplier behind the infrastructure on which DigiD and the Message Box run, is sold to investors from the United States, we are once again making our country more dependent on the American government. The Netherlands can easily put geopolitical pressure on this, for example with the threat to suspend services. The sale must therefore be stopped, argue Pieter Omtzigt, Reijer Passchier, Jesse Six Dijkstra, Ferd Grapperhaus, Marleen Stikker and Brenno de Winter.

OpenKAT 1.21 (calico cat): A new base under the LibreKAT Foundation

We are proud to announce release 1.21 of OpenKAT. This version marks a special moment: it is the first release after the transition from OpenKAT to the LibreKAT Foundation. Release 1.21 is all about stability, continuity and future-proofing. In this version, the underlying software components have been updated to the most recent stable versions. In addition, work has been done on a new technical basis that structurally supports further development. This has created a solid foundation for the sustainable development of OpenKAT within the new governance structure.

About our core values

We already defined core values ​​for the LibreKAT Foundation at the start. These are the things that guide our actions and help us maintain direction. We have defined ten:

1. Safety first. For LibreKAT, safety comes first and that is why we promote the ‘safety first’ mentality in information technology. Read more: safety first
2. Freedom and openness. LibreKAT believes in free and open technologies that everyone can study, improve and share. Transparency in source code, decision-making and collaboration is the basis of trust and innovation; Read more: freedom and openness
3. Sovereignty and autonomy. We strive for digital sovereignty: the ability to use, manage and further develop technology without dependence on closed or foreign platforms. LibreKAT supports organizations and communities to maintain control over their digital future; Read more: sovereignty and autonomy
4. Integrity and independence. We act based on public values, not commercial interests. Our choices are verifiable, ethically substantiated and aimed at sustainable digital autonomy for organizations and citizens; Read more: integrity and independence
5. Knowledge sharing and collaboration. Knowledge is only valuable if it is shared. LibreKAT builds bridges between government, business, education and community to grow open knowledge; Read more: knowledge sharing and collaboration
6. Reliability and safety. We promote technology that is reliable, verifiable and secure. This means: careful development, documentation and testing without compromises on security or privacy; Read more: reliability and safety
7. Humanity and respect. There is a human being behind every line of code, system or security measure. We value an inclusive, respectful community in which cooperation, empathy and mutual understanding are central; Read more: humanity and respect
8. Listen and connect. We believe that true collaboration starts with listening to each other, to users and to society. Open dialogue builds understanding, trust and better decision-making within our community; Read more: listen and connect
9. Just culture. Mistakes are opportunities to learn, not to punish. LibreKAT encourages a culture in which people feel safe to report problems, share experiences and improve together with respect for responsibility and growth; Read more: just culture
10. Sustainability and continuity. LibreKAT takes care of the long term: from good software maintenance to sustainable governance and transferable knowledge, so that public digital infrastructure continues to exist even when individuals leave. Read more: sustainability and continuity

Podcast: CTRL-ALT-DEBATE about Sovereignty and DigiD

Ctrl Alt Debate: “DigiD in Dutch hands? It’s possible, it’s a political choice

What if digital security is above all a well-told story? And what if the real problem is not with technology, but with not making choices?

In this episode, Brenno de Winter joins Harm Teunis and Astrid Oosenbrug. Brenno is known for his sharp view of digital security and his fixed principle: what is demonstrably true and what especially reassures us?

Position paper round table discussion in the House of Representatives January 27, 2026

The acquisition of Solvinity for Logius services (position)

This document describes the acquisition of Solvinity by Kyndryl and the significance for Logius’ services. The focus is on DigiD, but the message box is also discussed, because it facilitates a lot of communication between citizens and government. You can get this document as a PDF file here.

Executive summary

This position paper describes how the proposed acquisition of Solvinity by Kyndryl will materially change the strategic position of vital Dutch digital government facilities, despite the fact that operational services will remain intact in the short term. Since 2020, Solvinity has supplied the infrastructure and hardware platform under the direction of Logius for core facilities such as DigiD, MijnOverheid (including the Message Box) and Digipoort. Responsibility for policy, architecture and services lies entirely with the government, but technical continuity depends on a private infrastructure supplier.

An explanation of MIAUW in less than six minutes

This conversation simply explains how MIAUW works and what the added value is. It is a clear summary, which is of course not comprehensive. It discusses the why, how MIAUW works and why you need clarity about the tests.

In addition, it discusses well the audit value with the use of an auditor.

We have created a transcript of the conversation:

Speaker 1 Hello and welcome today we dive into the world of penetration testing. They are often called pen tests. You know how important cybersecurity is, right? Especially with new legislation such as, well, NIS2, which increases the pressure.

MIAUW does not make pen testing more expensive

Every now and then we hear that the Methodology for Information Security Research with Audit Value (MIAW) would make penetration tests (pen tests) more expensive. But is that really the case? I would like to explain why MIAUW contributes to transparency, quality and in many cases even results in cost savings.

What is MIAUW?

MIAUW is a structured methodology for carrying out penetration tests (technical security research). Where the customer often does not know what to ask and how to get real guidance, MIAUW helps with purchasing requirements and requirements for research, with an emphasis on transparency, reproducibility and audit value. It provides organizations with a clear framework to plan, conduct and evaluate pen testing, and ensures that all key aspects of a security investigation are documented. This is essential to comply with legislation such as the GDPR, NIS2 Directive and the upcoming Cyber ​​Resilience Act (CRA). This legislation requires those responsible in the organization (the director) to demonstrate that you comply with the legislation.

The importance of critical evaluation of technologies to strengthen cybersecurity (podcast) - Eddy Willems

Eddy Willems in conversation with Brenno de Winter, information security and privacy expert.

In the latest episode of the podcast series ‘My Precious Data’, Eddy Willems, Security Evangelist at WAVCi, talks to Brenno de Winter, a leading expert in the field of information security and privacy. Brenno is known for his in-depth knowledge and experience, including his involvement in cracking the public transport chip card and his work as Chief Security & Privacy Operations at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Netherlands.