Erfurt (dpa/th) - Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier does not yet see Germany sufficiently protected against possible Russian cyber attacks on the critical infrastructure. "It's quite obvious that we can become victims of hybrid warfare," said the SPD politician on Thursday in Erfurt. Cyber attacks on critical infrastructures must be taken into account. "And I don't think we're optimally prepared yet."
Even if Russia gives the impression that it wants to continue its aggressive war against Ukraine on a permanent basis, it represents a very high burden for the country and the political leadership in the Kremlin. "That means you have to expect further escalation."
Maier reiterated the call from the conference of interior ministers to expand the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) into a central office. "We have 16 states and it will not work if each state comes up with its own cyber defense strategy now, spends money and you develop 16 different solutions," he said.
A cyber defense platform will be set up in Thuringia. But you need the BSI as a central office - comparable to the position of the Federal Criminal Police Office. Maier said he is an advocate of federalism, but one must keep an eye on the interaction of all levels of government - this is particularly important in cyber defense. "I would like Thuringia to be able to put itself under the protective umbrella of the BSI to a certain extent."
Maier emphasized that, in his opinion, a law for critical infrastructure is also needed. Many areas of public services are in private hands. The companies would not only have to be obliged to comply with certain safety standards, but also to report incidents.
