The Austrian Cybersecurity Strategy (ÖSCS 2021)
January 2021
Author: The Austrian Cybersecurity Strategy (ÖSCS 2021)
The Austrian Cybersecurity Strategy (ÖSCS 2021) is a comprehensive plan developed by the Austrian government to enhance the country’s cybersecurity posture. The strategy was published in January 2021 and outlines the government’s approach to addressing cybersecurity challenges in Austria.
The core objectives of this strategy encompass enhancing the cybersecurity and resilience of Austria’s infrastructure and services, establishing a secure digital environment, and fostering research and innovation in the field of cybersecurity.
The vision behind ÖSCS 2021 is to create a secure cyberspace over the long term and to make Austria and the European Union more resilient against cyber threats by adopting a national approach to cybersecurity.ÖSCS 2021 aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Ensure that Austria has access to sufficient financial and human resources in order
to prevent, recognise and defend itself against cyber threats and cyber incidents,
and to prosecute the perpetrators of cyberattacks. - Ensure that Austria is capable of protecting and defending its critical information
systems and infrastructure in the event of a crisis. - Ensure that cybersecurity is perceived as the joint responsibility of the state,
businesses, and society as a whole in Austria, that clearly defined responsibilities
and remits are set out, and that all stakeholders play an active role within their
respective areas of responsibility. - Ensure that there is a national picture of the cybersecurity situation, and that
cybersecurity skills are strengthened and promoted in all strata of society, the
economy and in daily life, and that the awareness of cybersecurity is raised.
37 - Ensure that all Austrians have a secure platform to take part in social and political
life in cyberspace.
- Ensure that Austria has the statutory and operational mechanisms in order to make it a secure and attractive destination for companies in cyberspace, and to prosecute cyber criminals in an appropriate manner.
- Ensure that Austria is actively engaged in cybersecurity issues and working
closely together with all stakeholders at the national, the European and the
international levels. - Ensure cooperation with the EU so that Austria can defend its digital sovereignty
and contribute to the strategic autonomy of the EU as a whole. - Ensure that Austria’s cybersecurity field works in a coordinated and networked
manner. - Ensure that Austria trains sufficient cybersecurity experts with a view to making
the country more resilient, meeting the demands of the labour market, and
combating cybercrime in the long term. - Ensure that Austria plays an active role in applying and strengthening
international standards for cyberspace. - Ensure that Austria continues its national approach to developing the legal
framework for cybersecurity to make cyberspace more secure and fight
cybercrime.