National Cyber Defence Centre in Germany: A Hub for Fighting Cybercrime
The National Cyber Defence Centre in Germany is a crucial hub for cooperation between different authorities to combat cybercrime. This article provides an overview of the centre, its core authorities, and recent developments.
Authorities Involved
The National Cyber Defence Centre consists of eight core authorities and several partner authorities from various sectors:
Core Authorities:
- Bundeskriminalamt (BKA): Germany’s federal criminal police office.
- Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution: Responsible for domestic intelligence and countering terrorism.
- Bundeswehr Cyber and Information Domain Service Command: The German military’s cyber warfare unit.
- Federal Police: Conducts investigations and provides security services.
- Federal Intelligence Service: Collects foreign intelligence and advises the government on strategic matters.
- Cyberabwehr Bayern (Bavarian cyber defence platform): Protects Bavaria from cyber threats.
- Hessen CyberCompetenceCenter (Hessen3C): Focused on developing and implementing cybersecurity solutions for Hesse.
- Bamberg and Cologne public prosecutors’ offices specialising in cybercrime investigations: Prosecutes cybercrime cases.
Partner Authorities:
- Federal Financial Supervisory Authority: Regulates financial institutions to prevent economic crime.
Collaboration Formats
The National Cyber Defence Centre uses various formats for collaboration, including:
- Daily briefing: Liaison officers share current intelligence on cyber-related matters and decide whether to take action.
- Working groups: Permanent or temporary groups assess cyberthreat potentials and implement measures.
- Steering group: Decides on thematic priorities and sets up working groups.
Goals and Initiatives
The National Cyber Defence Centre aims to:
- Strengthen the capability of the centre to respond to specific situations.
- Intensify interdisciplinary operational case management.
- Improve operational and strategic reporting.
- Optimise workflows and processes, including controlling and evaluation of effectiveness.
- Establish new formats of cooperation.
- Further strengthen the crisis response capability of the centre.
Recent Developments
In recent months, the National Cyber Defence Centre has expanded its partnerships:
- April 2021: Cyberabwehr Bayern became part of the centre as a first Länder-level representative.
- June 2021: The public prosecutors’ offices of Bamberg and Cologne joined the centre.