Publications
Cyber Security Strategy for Germany
Article Security
On 8 September 2021, the Federal Cabinet adopted the 2021 Cyber Security Strategy for Germany prepared by the Federal Minister of the Interior and Community. It provides the framework for cyber security over the next five years.
Cyber security is a task for the present and one of our most important tasks for the future. We live in an age that is defined by the new opportunities of the digital world, such as artificial intelligence, connected electronic devices and new, innovative means of communication. To be able to harness these opportunities, we need to minimise risks.
Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community Horst Seehofer said: "The threat situation in cyberspace remains serious. The government, together with industry and society, must ensure that the new technologies can be used safely and autonomously by adequately equipping security authorities, effectively protecting critical infrastructure and businesses, and making the digital sphere safer for the public. We cannot view cyber security as a necessary inconvenience – it is the prerequisite for successful digital transformation."
The Cyber Security Strategy focuses on four areas of action: society, private industry, government and EU/international affairs. A total of 44 strategic objectives have been set within these action areas. We are breaking new ground in particular with the following objectives:
- The Federal Office for Information Security will become a hub for federal and state cooperation in the prevention of cyber crime, creating a third pillar in the integrated federal cyber security architecture: it will take up position alongside the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which already plays this role in the German police sector, and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which does so in the German domestic intelligence community.
- The strategy boosts digital sovereignty and thus the safe digital transformation of our country. Germany’s digital economy will be strengthened through targeted support for key enabling technologies and networking with relevant researchers. A security-by-design approach will be applied from the start in emerging and key enabling technologies. The 2021 Cyber Security Strategy for Germany replaces the 2016 Cyber Security Strategy for Germany. The strategy sets forth the essential long-term direction of the Federal Government’s cyber security policy, broken down to guiding principles, action areas and strategic objectives.
The individual objectives of the strategy will be evaluated in a transparent and measurable way, so that we can follow the progress made in each area.
