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Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD)
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The Ukraine war is not only fought with real weapons, but also across borders in the form of hacker attacks.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) now wants to protect Germany better against cyber attacks.
In Berlin, she promised better equipment for the security authorities.
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is to be expanded into a central office between the federal and state governments.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Criminal Police Office are also to be strengthened.
The Ukraine war makes it clear "once again how essential cyber security is for a modern, high-tech and digitized industrial state like Germany".
There are targeted attacks on so-called critical infrastructure, actions by cyber criminals, targeted disinformation or attacks on state structures.
According to Faeser's concept, all of this is likely to "massively and permanently impair or even interrupt the ability of our community and our economy to function".
"The federal and state governments must counter cyber threats in a coordinated manner," said Faeser when presenting the concept in Berlin.
In addition, the federal government should be given additional powers to avert danger.
The Interior Minister announced that the Basic Law should be changed for both.
According to the concert, in addition to the BSI and BKA, the Federal Police should also be strengthened, with more staff and better technology.
In order to be able to act faster in the event of cyber attacks, the operators of critical infrastructure - for example in the area of energy or health care - should also be closely connected to the BSI situation center.
In addition, the communication of the federal government is to be improved, among other things through the introduction of a central video conference system for the federal administration, the modernization of the digital radio network for authorities and the establishment of broadband communication.
mrc/AFP