Case Study: How I got approval from the Dutch government
I created a PubQuiz Alert Online, complete with promotional material and a manual, on behalf of ECP (founded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs). This is a variant of my own InfoSec PubQuizzes, which organizations can organize themselves. ECP offered this during the European Cyber Security Month in October to their partner network. It was requested more than 200 times within a couple of months. Because of the great success, ECP/Alert Online now offers the self-hosted PubQuiz Alert Online all year round.
What was the Occasion?
I attended an Alert Online meeting (an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security) in The Hague. Although I was not yet familiar with Alert Online, I was invited because I had indicated that I wanted to contribute more to the business world and was looking for a platform to collaborate.
After the meeting, I met Joyce Martina and Iris Koster, two ladies involved in online safety initiatives and who annually launch the Cyber Security Month in October on behalf of Alert Online. They spoke about their desire to organize something within the partner network of Alert Online.
While cleaning up the meeting room and brainstorming about my PubQuiz, Joyce suggested exploring whether we could collaborate. Later, we scheduled an online meeting, and I further investigated what Alert Online is and who is behind it. You can read about my findings below.
Alert Online, an NCTV (National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security) initiative, facilitates and stimulates collaboration in the field of cybersecurity between the government, business community, education, science, and consumers in the Netherlands. More information here
The Platform for the Information Society (ECP) plays an executive role in Alert Online.
ECP, founded in 1998 by, among others, VNO-NCW and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, functions as a national think tank that develops technical standards for electronic business, with a focus on public-private cooperation. More about ECP, here
Veiliginternetten.nl and AlertOnline.nl are initiatives of the mentioned ministries and ECP, supported by, among others, KPN, Voda/Ziggo, Dutch Association of Banks, SIDN, T-mobile, Google, Microsoft, Police, NL Digital, Fraudhelpdesk.nl, Thuiswinkel.org, Seniorweb, Network Media Wisdom, SIC, ACM Consuwijzer, ANBO, and co-financed by the European Union.
In addition, there are active partners such as ABN AMRO, ANWB, Consumer Association, Personal Data Authority, various hospitals, Payment Association Netherlands, libraries, IT companies (such as Capgemini, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Facebook), energy companies (such as Eneco), government institutions (such as Central Planning Bureau, CJIB, Tax, and Customs Administration), Digital Trust Center, NCTV, various ministries (including National Cyber Security Center), municipalities (such as Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht), universities and universities (such as Erasmus University Rotterdam), and cybersecurity initiatives (such as Fox-IT, Infosequre, Fraudhelpdesk, Cyber Security Council).
I apologize for not being able to adequately translate the aforementioned companies and organizations into English but assume that these are prominent organizations that are Dutch authorities in the field of Infrastructure, large hospital chains, banks, law enforcement, tech cooperatives, government institutions, energy companies, tax services, and all crucial organizations that make contemporary society possible.
Development trajectory
After a demo of my InfoSec PubQuiz with Joyce and Iris, we brainstormed about a custom PubQuiz for Alert Online.
I made various proposals and designed the PubQuiz in such a way that it became a variant of my own version.
Important aspects were that the ECP can manage the quiz itself and make it available to partners. Therefore, I chose Kahoot, which is allowed on most firewalls, and suggested that partners would not need to purchase a paid Kahoot plan.
Subjects such as password management, 2FA/MFA, ransomware, phishing, and social engineering were essential to me. Joyce and Sophieke (substitute of Iris) wanted to include the theme of ‘shame’.
In addition, I added and developed the following:
The quiz should be reusable, expandable, user-friendly, and future-proof.
There should be a teaser video (see below) that can be promoted on various media to excite organizations.
An extensive but simple user manual for both the ECP and the host of the organization.
The manual also explains the answers to the quiz and provides additional questions for discussion.
As a teaser, I included CEOs and political figureheads as leading figures in the quiz, which later on proved to be a great success.
The Dutch teaser video I developed for promotion purposes to excite organizations (English subtitles available).
Approval process
I presented the PubQuiz format and content to ECP in The Hague for approval three times.
The first time was with only Joyce and Sophieke, where minimal adjustments were needed.
The second time was for the entire Alert Online / VeiligInternetten team. Small groups played the quiz. Notes were made, and it was helpful to include more context in the description. Discussion about answer time (30 seconds) resulted in retaining this time limit to stimulate discussion and keep the PubQuiz flowing.
The third session involved representatives from the Center for Information Security and Privacy Protection, the Digital Trust Center, and the Police. Knowledge about the topic was high and the quiz sparked lively discussions.
Positive feedback came from entities like the Police, who appreciated the creative approach and efforts put into the quiz.
The second time was at the ECP annual festival (17-22-2022), where I hosted two sessions with ECP. The PubQuiz was very positively received by partner organizations.
Very positive results
A few weeks after Cyber Security month, Joyce told me that the PubQuiz had already been requested at least 100 times, a big success!
From April 2023, due to the success, Alert Online/ECP decided to offer the PubQuiz all year round.
Update: in April 2023, the counter was already at more than 200 requests according to the Alert Online meeting, a great result.
And now you: what can you do with this?
There are two ways to get help with the PubQuiz:
The self-hosted Dutch version that I made for Alert Online can be requested for free, here (you may need to become a partner of Alert Online first – this is free)
Want an English ‘self-hosted’ version, including videos and all the extras? This is not free, but you will get a unique setup that will get your team talking enthusiastically about Information Security and becoming more security-aware directly. ➡ More information can be found on my homepage.
That’s it! Surely, you’re now sold on the effectiveness of my PubQuiz format. Rest assured, the InfoSecPubQuiz Pack is top-notch and delivers results.
