Penetration-test remediation
Owned security tickets coming out of penetration testing and drove the findings to structural remediation in the production back-end.
CERTE GROEP / PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Strengthening security within an existing platform
Working within a larger development team at Certe Groep, Ricardo van der Spoel took responsibility for security tickets in the production backend. The assignment involved resolving pentest findings and strengthening security within an established engineering process.
Project experience of Ricardo van der Spoel, carried out under Van der Spoel Development. These case studies describe his contribution to the projects shown. More about Ricardo’s background.
The challenge
- An insurance operation runs on sensitive policyholder, financial and claims data.
- The volmacht model means underwriting on behalf of insurers: trust is the product.
- The platform is software the group runs and develops itself, in a regulated sector.
- Security findings from penetration tests demand structural fixes, not patches.
- Hardening had to happen in production, without interrupting daily operations.
- Work happened inside a larger team, within an existing delivery process.
Certe Groep
Ricardo’s contribution
Access control
Tightened authorisation in the back-end so that access to sensitive data and operations matches what each role actually needs.
Authentication
Strengthened authentication around the platform: the front door of a system that handles insurance data deserves more than defaults.
Encryption and key management
Improved how data is encrypted and how keys are managed, protecting the data layer that everything else depends on.
Continuity while hardening
Reduced attack surface step by step without losing operational continuity, security work that respects a live business.
What the work delivered
- Improve trust in an existing production system.
- Harden sensitive back-end environments without treating security as a side task.
- Reduce platform risk in systems that already matter operationally.
- Deliver within a larger team and an existing engineering process.
Facing a similar challenge?
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Relate project experience to your own situation
These cases describe Ricardo’s work and contribution through Van der Spoel Development. Look for similarities in the technical challenge: connecting existing systems, modernising software while it is in use or defining responsibilities within a team. The appropriate approach also depends on your source data and operating environment.