To keep a weather eye on the cyber security situation, the National IT Situation Centre operates 24/7 as a clearinghouse for reports of security incidents in Germany, which it evaluates with the Federal Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-Bund).These situation assessments make full use of the BSI’s wealth of expertise: Specialists in cyber security for industrial plants, IT forensic experts, malware analysts and penetration testers analyse these reports from a number of technical perspectives to achieve a comprehensive estimate of the threat level. This in turn gives the BSI a constant overview of the cyber security situation in Germany.

If the federal administration or an operator of critical infrastructure (KRITIS) reports a security incident to the National IT Situation Centre, the affected organisation can be provided with on-site incident handling support. Mobile Incident Response Teams provide prompt, local technical assistance to minimise the damage caused by data loss and other adverse developments. The National Cyber Response Centre interconnects all the federal agencies with security responsibilities to ensure that information is exchanged and steps are taken to counter ongoing threats in a coordinated manner.