Researchers build cybersecurity framework for EUDI wallets

The EU is likely to see dozens of new digital identity apps on the market by the end of this year, when the deadline ends for member states to offer their citizens a European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. One of the key tasks will be determining which of these solutions are most secure and which have vulnerabilities.

A group of European researchers is aiming to answer this question with a new software tool that can help identify the most secure digital ID systems. To achieve this, they plan to use AI for cybersecurity testing, including large language models (LLMs) that can analyze software source code and identify potential vulnerabilities.

The three-year international project is led by the University of Szeged (SZTE) in Hungary, in collaboration with the University of Trento in Italy and the University of Oslo in Norway.

“These tools not only detect flaws, but are also becoming increasingly capable of suggesting ways to fix them,” Rudolf Ferenc, associate professor at SZTE and the project’s lead, says in an announcement. “This could significantly accelerate cybersecurity improvements.”

As part of the project, researchers will develop a cybersecurity framework to analyze and compare different wallet technologies. The project will also examine how to defend against future cybersecurity threats, such as quantum computing, as well as how to manage data using blockchains to prevent attacks.

The initiative is supported by the HU-RIZONT program, a research program launched by Hungary to support international collaboration. One of its goals is to highlight that flaws and weaknesses in digital identity systems could have serious consequences, including data breaches.

“If a system of this kind lacks sufficient security, someone could, in theory, impersonate another person – for example, by initiating financial transactions or handling official matters on their behalf,” says Ference. “This creates risks not only for individual users, but also for the integrity of the system as a whole.”

Other organizations are also working on the task of boosting the cybersecurity of digital ID wallets.

The EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has taken the lead in creating the cybersecurity certification scheme for EUDI Wallets and electronic identities. The organization recently invited feedback on its cloud services cybersecurity certification scheme.

Article Topics

cybersecurity  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  EU Digital Identity Wallet