Peppol Is Not Automatically Secure: What Companies Need to Know

What Does This Mean?

Your Peppol address is now public. In other words, the entire world knows exactly where your invoice inbox is located. Unlike email systems, Peppol does not have a built-in concept of “spam.” Sending 1,000 invoices is technically just 1,000 registered deliveries. There’s no inherent mechanism to block or filter unwanted traffic.

The Real Risk

While Peppol ensures interoperability and compliance, it does not guarantee security by default. If your access point or Service Metadata Publisher (SMP) does not enforce strict controls, you could be exposed to:

• Invoice flooding (similar to spam, but harder to detect)
• Fraudulent invoices
• Operational disruptions

The Key Question

It’s not simply: “Are you on Peppol?”
The real question is:
How strict is your access point and SMP when it comes to KYC, monitoring, and policing?

Best Practices for Security

1. Choose a trusted access point provider with strong Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures.
2. Implement monitoring tools to detect unusual traffic patterns.
3. Set up validation rules for incoming invoices to prevent fraud.
4. Regularly audit your Peppol configuration to ensure compliance and security.

See also Tom Van Asbroeck