Advancing digitalization is leading to a growing network of devices and services, which significantly increases the risk of cyberattacks. At the same time, the threat posed by phishing, malware, AI-supported attacks, and other vulnerabilities is growing. These developments highlight the need for a broad, society-wide approach to promoting cybersecurity. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has therefore been organizing a dialogue on cybersecurity since 2016, systematically incorporating different perspectives and stakeholders from civil society, economy, science, culture & media and state authorities. As part of this dialogue, ConPolicy and the nexus Institute provided organizational and methodological guidance for two workstreams, which aimed to develop concrete solutions to current cybersecurity issues.
The two workstreams for 2024/2025 encompass with the following topics:
- Cybersecurity in Society – The Role of the CRA for Open Source
- White DVS Card for Particularly Exemplary Behavior in Information Security
The project consisted of four central work packages:
- Work package 1: Kick-off and project agreement. Agreement with the BSI of a common understanding of the project. The aim was to clarify the specific work processes, structure the collaboration, and establish uniform communication channels.
- Work package 2: Implementation of the workstreams. Organizational and procedural support for the work streams. ConPolicy and nexus acted as facilitating bodies, enabling efficient, agile working methods and supporting stakeholders in their technical work.
- Work package 3: Result reports. Preparation of accessible result reports of at least 15 pages for each work stream. Selected results were presented at an annual workshop.
- Work package 4: Final report. Summary of the key results from supporting the workstreams, evaluation of implementation, formulation of lessons learned, and recommendations for further development.
