Corona-Warn-App
The federal Corona Warn App has been available as a free download from the Apple and Google app stores since 16 June 2020.
As Germany's federal cyber security agency, the BSI worked closely with the German government, the Robert Koch Institute and the app development team, contributing its expertise to ensure the app would offer a high level of IT security. The BSI provided support during the open-source development process by testing both the app itself and the associated back-end infrastructure. The BSI also played a leading role in the conceptual design and implementation of the security model. As a result, the federal government's Corona Warn App meets all of the applicable requirements from the
BSI Technical Guideline 'TR 03161 -- Security Requirements for Digital Health Applications'.
To provide for the transparency needed to ensure broad acceptance of the app, the conceptual design and program code (source code) of the app were published on the open-source development platform GitHub along with documents on the underlying server architecture and the app's other functions. This allowed interested parties to track the development and programming of the app and contribute to its design.
The Corona Warn App uses Bluetooth to measure the distance and duration of an encounter between individuals who have installed the app. Smartphones log these encounters when they meet the distance and time criteria specified by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In such cases, the devices swap random codes with one another. If individuals who use the app test positive for Covid-19, they can voluntarily use the app to inform other users of their status.
The Corona-Warn-App is simple to use, features the latest technical advances and complies with data protection legislation. It represents one of the many other federal digitalisation projects in healthcare (and other sectors) that depend on gaining the trust of ordinary citizens. This trust is created by ensuring transparency and the best information security possible. The Corona Warn App has demonstrated that information security is an essential part of successful digitalisation projects. This is what the BSI stands for.