Thursday, February 24, 2011

Attacks from the Internet: Cabinet approves cyber-security strategy "

Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere at the idea of "cyber-security strategy" in the fight against espionage, sabotage and general Internet crime, the federal government pool available resources and set up a cyber defense center. The Cabinet decided on Wednesday, a security strategy for the cyber-space.

Interior de Maizière (CDU), said: "The protection of critical information infrastructure is an existential question of the 21st Century and requires a strong commitment of the state. "The federal government considers a working Internet and smooth flow of information for the control of industry, business and government as equally essential as running water or the air we breathe.


At the same time registered by companies and governments around the world, a growing number of increasingly sophisticated attacks on the so-called "critical infrastructure". These include specifically recited "width" attacks against entire countries, such as in the incidents against Estonia, Lithuania and Georgia.

For these purposes, large numbers of foreign, often private computers "hijacked", and then used as so-called "zombies" in "botnets" without their owners knowledge and assistance for mass destructive attacks on other computers. Seen in the field of view but also acts of sabotage ("Individual attacks"), such as the one with the alleged Israeli-American malware "Stuxnet" against Iranian nuclear facilities.

Even Germany would "permanently" attacks from the Internet, the department head said the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) Isselhorst. There were, for example, daily for four to five Trojan attacks on government systems. Criminals, but also governmental sabotage missions abroad made use of the network.

There malware would also have acted as security gaps in the defense programs such as the software manufacturer Microsoft. In cyber-defense center, the federal government to bring together in transactions in the information technology security agencies to concentrate their analysis and defense skills.

The national "cyber-defense center to be established under the auspices of the Federal Office for Security in Information Technology. are directly involved, according to the Interior Ministry of the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance.

The President of the BSI, slope, said on Wednesday: "New attack mechanisms, as they were observed in Stuxnet based, not on the traditional division of labor by German authorities to require new forms of cooperation and well-established communication structures." Questions and concerns about the planned operation of the Defense Center, in addition to the opposition and the ruling party FDP.

Their internal policy, for example, want to know which tasks are to have about thirty Newly recruited staff. Also ask the question, it is, who the center is supposed to parliamentary control in his work. Concerns of the Greens, the planned cooperation of intelligence services, army and police is undermining the separation rule, which applies the Constitution would no longer divided by the FDP, said de Maizière.

For the better cooperation between government and industry is also a "National Cyber Security" set up. Represented are the Federal Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the ministries of defense, economic, legal and financial affairs and the states. Business representatives will be here as associate members.

Minister Brüderle (FDP) announced that his ministry would take up in late March a Task Force on IT security work.

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