Peeking Behind the Portal: Assessing E-Gov Security in Practice
Date:
Modern e‑Government (E‑Gov) services are the digital front door to public administration, but how strong is that door really? This session presents a systematic approach to evaluating the security posture of online public services using well‑established tools such as nmap and testssl.sh. The analysis focuses on SSL/TLS configurations, certificate chains and their validation, exposed services, and common misconfigurations that may compromise the safety and trust of citizens interacting with these platforms. Drawing from large‑scale assessments of over 3,000 public services worldwide, the talk walks through both methodology and key findings, highlighting recurring weaknesses, cross‑regional patterns, and opportunities for improvement. During the session, the concept and structure of certificate chains will be explored in detail to clarify how trust is established (and broken) in practice. By the end of the session, attendees will gain actionable insights into the current state of E‑Gov security and learn how to conduct similar evaluations in their own environments.