The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) aims to assist citizens in protecting themselves well against digital risks and responding swiftly and effectively to cyber incidents. Everyone should be able to participate in and trust in the digital world, as outlined in the Work Agenda.
Public campaigns
To this end, BZK is collaborating with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and the Ministry of Justice and Security (JenV) on an overarching cyber campaign approach. Initial ideas for this overarching campaign approach are in place. Active development of campaigns on various topics are set to start in the fall of 2023: social engineering, two-factor authentication, and updates. BZK will also launch more initiatives over the coming years to improve citizens’ online resilience.
Social engineering campaign
An increasing number of Dutch citizens encounter social engineering. This is a method used by criminals to psychologically manipulate people to perform actions or disclose confidential information. These criminals exploit human traits such as curiosity, fear, greed, trust, and ignorance, often intending to commit financial exploitation.
Social engineering often involves a form of pressure, which usually makes people feel something is amiss. In the fall of 2023, BZK, along with JenV and EZK, will launch an educational campaign about this topic. The goal is for people to identify when something is wrong and then act appropriately. More information on social engineering and how to protect yourself online can be found on veiliginternetten.nl.
Examples of social engineering
- An email falsely claimed to be from your bank, asking you to click on a link.
- A WhatsApp message falsely claimed to be from your (grand)child stating they have a new phone number and requesting money.
- A phone call supposedly from a tech company employee, informing you of issues with your computer and instructing you to install certain software to fix these issues.
Other initiatives to improve citizens’ online resilience
To support the elderly and individuals with low levels of literacy, BZK is providing subsidies under the ‘City Deal Resilience to Cybercrime’ to promote various tools. It concerns the implementation of proven methods such as Storytelling, Serious Game Cyber Resilience, and the movie ‘Real or Fake?’. This is implemented through the OOV regions, libraries, and the Digital Government Information Points (IDOs). Additionally, pilot projects specifically aimed at increasing the online resilience of the elderly and those with low levels of literacy are likely to be introduced.
Moreover, BZK is developing a support tool for employees of the Digital Government Information Points. This tool will enable them to better assist citizens with information security queries or direct them to existing (expert) support centres, information desks, and local support initiatives. The tool is currently under development and is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
