IT Security Report: Companies and authorities must work together

This year’s Munich Security Conference made it clear, and CeBIT 2012 took the same course with its motto “Managing Trust”: IT security, which is far more than just the protection against attacks on the IT systems in companies and authorities. While the issue of hacking sensitive data is certainly the more spectacular threat, it is at least as difficult as the issue of IT security.


IT security more important than ever


What is presented under this term in contract works and manuals rather inconspicuous, simply means: The functioning of the IT infrastructure must be guaranteed at all times. The fact that this is not a matter of course has been demonstrated by Stuxnet, the computer pest, which has allowed critical systems - here industrial equipment - to be sabotaged.


The private economy and the authorities must work together


What happens if our communication networks fail? What in the suburban traffic is at worst an unpleasant companion of the winter, can not be ignored simply with regard to the IT. Authorities, infrastructure and utilities are becoming more and more "intelligent", they are increasingly networked. As a company, we are much more dependent on functioning IT systems than the broad population is aware of.


The more intelligent our networks, the more susceptible they are to mistakes and sabotage. An IT infrastructure, which sets high standards with regard to operational safety, ensures that our company works - quite unintentionally in the background. The importance of IT operational security for the functioning of our society is therefore already immense and it will continue to grow.


But who is responsible for an intact IT infrastructure? IT manufacturers - some more, some less - have always offered solutions that meet high security standards, especially for critical systems by protecting data, ensuring data redundancy - for example, by mirroring at two remote locations - and transparency about the location of data storage Ensure the accesses, but also protect the terminals which, if they fall into the wrong hands, quickly become an incidence gateway into otherwise functioning systems.


The manufacturers will not cope with this task in the first attempt. In order to ensure the operational security of our supply systems, the private sector and the authorities must work hand in hand.


First examples show how it can work: The Federal Network Agency and the national cyber-defense center conducted last year's comprehensive crisis management exercise LÜKEX 2011 and examined how the state can defend a massive cyber attack.


And the Japanese government has recently passed a law requiring attacks to be reported to a specially constituted body. In addition to agency representatives, he also includes experts from IT companies such as Fujitsu.


The main goal of information technology is to better manage situations with the help of intelligent infrastructures and solutions and to restore vital support functions quickly.


Information security has long since ceased to be a private affair. The defense against attacks on our core infrastructure can only be achieved if we understand it as a whole social task. Rolf Schwirz