CybersecurityGermany launches broad cybersecurity strategy
The German government on Wednesday adopted a new cybersecurity strategy to counter a rising number of threats targeting government institutions, critical infrastructure, businesses, and citizens. The new strategy was adopted in response to a dramatic increase in sophisticated cyberattacks originating in Russia and China. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, and Interior Minister Thomas de Maziere on Wednesday, warned that Russia would be using hacking and disinformation campaign in an effort to influence next year’s election in Germany.
The German government on Wednesday adopted a new cybersecurity strategy to counter a rising number of threats targeting government institutions, critical infrastructure, businesses, and citizens.
The new strategy will create a mobile Quick Reaction Force housed within the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), and similar quick reaction teams within the federal police, domestic intelligence agency, and several government departments. The quick response teams will be tasked with responding to cyber threats to critical infrastructure and government institutions.
DW reports that Germany’s Cyber Defense Center will be part of the Interior Ministry, which has been put I charge of coordinating government agencies’ response to cyberthreats and cyberattacks.
The new strategy adopted Wednesday also calls for increased information sharing on cyberthreats and cyberattacks between the public and private sectors.
The government expects businesses to become more aware of, and more active against, cyberthreats, with particular focus on protecting critical infrastructure, including energy and water supplies, healthcare systems, digital routing systems, and transportation.
The new policy also requires federal agencies to maintain better IT security management systems which are better able to respond to evolving cyberthreats.
The policy also calls for raising public awareness, increasing the use of encryption in consumer devices,, and placing security labels on IT products. The plan also calls for more cybersecurity training and development in schools.
According to a BSI report released Wednesday, a growing number of sophisticated malware has been targeting IT systems in Germany for which existing anti-virus programs are inadequate. Many of the cyberattacks are ransomware which blocks computers or steal data in order to extort ransom payments, BSI said.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maziere said that an increasing number of cyberattacks originate in Russia and China. He also warned against Russian cyberattacks and disinformation campaign aiming to influence Germany’s next year’s elections. Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a similar warning on Tuesday.
— Read more in Die Lage der IT-Sicherheit in Deutschland 2016 (BSI, 9 November 2016)
