Germany Launches National IT Security Plan

The German government has announced it is creating a computer emergency response center to deal with computer viruses as part of the government’s new national IT security plan.

According to an article by John Blau for IDG News Service, the plan, announced late last week, “comes at a time where many other industrialized nations are struggling to come to grips with attacks on IT systems in both the public and private sectors.”

Blau says the plan, entitled the “National Plan to Protect IT Infrastructures” is the first of its kind in Europe. It’s comprised of three main areas, he says, including early prevention, swift response and security standards.

More than two thirds of Germany's critical infrastructure is owned and operated by companies in the private sector, Blau says, but their security commitment is “worrying.” The German interior minister Otto Schily told Blau that some companies in the country wait until they have an acute problem before taking steps to improve their IT security.

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