In order to be as capable of acting as possible in the event of a large-scale cyber attack, BSI President Plattner has called for closer cooperation between the federal and state governments. Institutionalized support for the federal states through the BSI is conceivable.
The President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Claudia Plattner, complains about the lack of options to provide countries with preventative help in the event of a large-scale cyber attack.
“If the lights go out in Munich and Hamburg at the same time due to a cyber attack, we must be able to act together immediately,” she told the “Münchner Merkur”. “However, this is currently not possible in important aspects: regular, permanent or even institutionalized support for the states from the BSI is not constitutionally possible,” she criticized.
“We are currently only allowed to work together in exceptional and selective cases, and only when someone is already down. We have to change that, with the BSI in the role of central office for cybersecurity in the federal-state relationship.” Plattner mentioned an attack on the power grids or telecommunications networks as a conceivable attack scenario.
Digital security should be improved
Against the background of increasing cyber attacks, including from abroad, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) recently promised more protection for the German digital infrastructure. At the beginning of February, together with BSI boss Plattner, she opened a new IT situation center in Bonn.
In the new facility, specialists from various disciplines will keep an eye on the cybersecurity situation in Germany around the clock and exchange information with other national and international security actors.
The focus is not only on protection against cyber attacks, but also on monitoring disinformation campaigns online. Equally important and the task of the situation center is to protect the electoral authorities from hacker attacks and to securely transmit election results. “We are keeping a close eye on these threats – and are taking them particularly seriously given the elections this year,” said Faeser.