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Parliament wants a law to review cyber security

13.12.2024

Translation: machine translated

Following the Council of States, the National Council has also approved the motion "Carrying out urgently needed cyber security audits". This calls for a legal basis for regular cybersecurity audits of public institutions and companies with close ties to the federal government. The federal government should pay.

The National Council and the Council of States are calling for the federal government to have a clear legal basis and sufficient financial resources to regularly check the security of official and federal IT infrastructures. The corresponding motion was adopted by the National Council on Thursday with a clear majority. 122 votes in favour and 62 against gave the motion by the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States (SIK-S) the green light. The Council of States had already approved the motion in September

What exactly is it about?

The initiative was justified by the SIK-S with reference to serious data thefts and business interruptions at authorities, public institutions and state-affiliated companies. The supporters of the motion emphasised that cyberattacks not only threaten public life, but increasingly also private life. The number of these attacks is constantly increasing, they are becoming more and more technically sophisticated and the potential damage is growing to threatening proportions.

At the same time, the SIK-S criticised the fact that there are currently no binding standards or minimum requirements for software products in Switzerland. Insecure products and applications were entering the market and opening up opportunities for cyber criminals and state actors worldwide to launch attacks.

However, a minority in the National Council opposed this demand. Although SVP National Councillor Mauro Tuena conceded that prevention against hacker attacks is important, he warned against burdening the federal government with financial obligations without a clear upper limit.

Federal Council agrees and refers to EU legislation

The Federal Council also supports Parliament's request, but expressed concerns about the financing of the security checks. Defence Minister Viola Amherd emphasised that a yes vote would not automatically mean that the federal government would bear the costs of the tests. Rather, these should be borne by those who need them.

Federal Councillor Viola Amherd supports the mandate - but questions the funding.
Source: Shutterstock

Amherd recalled that this is not the first time that cybersecurity audits have been called for in parliament. The Federal Council has always spoken out in favour of greater support for such audits, as the security of digital products needs to be critically scrutinised. The imminent implementation of the EU's Cyber Resilience Act has made this topic even more urgent for Switzerland. This requires manufacturers of digital components to provide proof of their security. The Federal Office for Cyber Security plays a key role in this context and must also be strengthened accordingly by law.

Header image: Shutterstock

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Florian Bodoky

Editor

Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.ch

I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.

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Parliament wants a law to review cyber security

What exactly is it about?

Federal Council agrees and refers to EU legislation

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