[Infowarrior] - Germany Blasted with Cyber Attacks in 2010; Plans Cyber-Defense Cente

[Richard Forno]

Germany Blasted with Cyber Attacks in 2010; Plans Cyber-Defense Center

http://www.thenewnewinternet.com/2010/12/28/germany-blasted-with-cyber-attacks-in-2010-plans-cyber-defense-center/

Germany experienced a significance increase in cyber attacks in 2010, many originating in China, and plans to set up a special center next year to counter the problem, the government said Monday.

“There has been a sharp rise in so-called electronic attacks on the networks of German government and local authorities,” German Interior Ministry spokesman Stefan Paris said at a briefing, according to AFP. “Germany is a very high-tech country with considerable experience and know-how, so of course others will naturally try to get hold of this knowledge . . . China is playing a large role in this.”

In the first nine months of 2010, the country saw some 1,600 cyber attacks, compared to around 900 for the whole of 2009, plus most likely a considerable number that went undetected, he said.

The new center will focus on pooling the findings of all of the government agencies that have thus far been tasked with identifying and fighting cyber attacks, including the Federal Office for Information Security, federal criminal investigators and German intelligence agencies, according to Spiegel Online.

However, the center’s focus will not be solely be on government ministries and agencies, but will also include private businesses that are targeted by malware attacks that cost the German economy upward of 10 million euros, Spiegel reported.