National Cyber Security Center to become a federal agency
At a meeting in mid-May, the Federal Council decided to transform the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) into a federal office. The Federal Department of Finance was tasked with drawing up proposals by the end of 2022 on how the new office should be structured.
With the creation of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC).which is located in the General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF), an important cornerstone was laid in view of the importance of cybersecurity in recent years. Since then, the NCSC has undergone significant development.
In addition to the expansion of the technical specialist unit, GovCERT, a contact point for reports of cyber incidents from the population and the economy has been established, as well as a vulnerability management system. With around 40 employees, the NCSC performs core tasks in protecting Switzerland against cyber threats. It supports operators of critical infrastructures in preventing and dealing with incidents, operates the national contact point for Cybersecurity issues for the public and business and is envisaged by the Federal Council as the central reporting office when the reporting obligation for cyber attacks is introduced.
Growing importance of cyber security
With the increasing importance of cybersecurity, the tasks of the NCSC are also becoming more extensive and important. The Federal Council has therefore examined how the NCSC can be run as an independent organization in the future. According to the statement, various options were analyzed, such as outsourcing the NCSC from the central federal administration, joint operation with the cantons or transforming the NCSC into a public-private partnership. It was concluded that cybersecurity, as a task important to state policy, should continue to be managed directly by a federal councillor. The Federal Council also wants to strengthen the NCSC and create a Federal Office for Cybersecurity out of it.
Decision on design and allocation by the end of 2022
With the decision in principle for a federal office, the Federal Council has instructed the FDF to work out by the end of 2022 how the future federal office should be structured and to develop proposals as to which department it will be located in. The Federal Council will then make the corresponding decisions on this basis.
Source: the Federal Council
