1 Introduction 1.1 Germany’s information infrastructures Germany is already far advanced on the way to the information society. State institutions, businesses and society in general make intensive use of information technology. Today, like roads, water and power supply facilities, the information infrastructures are part of the national infrastructure, without which private households and public life would come to a standstill. Information infrastructures are the nervous system of our country Because our society depends largely on information technology, it faces new kinds of threats unknown in the past. Due to the global character of IT networks, IT security incidents may cause disruptions or total failure of the German information infrastructure, even if such incidents do not originate in our country. Criminals and terrorists increasingly try to damage complex technical systems with targeted attacks, and it cannot be ruled out that vital information infrastructures in Germany may become the target of such attacks. Today our internal security is therefore inseparable from secure information infrastructures; their protection is a key priority for our national security policy. For this reason, the present National Plan has been drawn up under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Implementing this plan will help strengthen the defence of Germany’s information infrastructures against global threats. Page 2