German Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, BSI)

The German Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, BSI) forms part of the division of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The BSI is an independent and neutral source of information concerning IT-security in the information society.

The German Federal Office for Information Security has a very wide and complex range of responsibilities, all relating to the problems in information technology. Regulations concerning the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are noted down in the so called Act on the Federal Office for Information Security (“BSI-Gesetz”, BSIG). As per Section 4 of the BSIG, the BSI is, inter alia, the central clearing house for IT security and gathers information on security gaps as well as successful and attempted attacks on IT security and the means used to carry out such attacks. According to Section 8a of the BSIG, Critical Infrastructure Operators must regularly prove the compliance of State-of-the-art IT security to the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). If security deficiencies are exposed, the BSI reserves the right to order their remedy in accordance with the supervisory authority.

In addition, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is also responsible for the security of the Federal Government’s IT systems and develops consistent and binding IT security standards.