defense
BSI calls for closer cooperation between the federal and state governments
A conceivable attack scenario could be an attack on the power grids or telecommunications networks, according to BSI President Claudia Plattner. photo
© Oliver Berg/dpa
What if power grids or telecommunications networks become the target of cyberattacks? According to the authority’s president, Claudia Plattner, the BSI cannot provide sufficient help to the federal states.
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.