France looks to reform cyber defence policies before GDPR’s May deadline

The French government hopes to make some major changes to its cyber defence policies ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect on May 25th.

A new three-part ‘strategic cyber defense review’ has been tabled by France’s secretary general of defense and national security Louis Gautier, marking the beginning of the country’s new cyber defence strategy.

According to WeLiveSecurity.com, the first part paints a picture of the cyber dangers facing government institutions, businesses and the public, such as possible vulnerabilities, various types of cyber attacks and limitations related to international regulation.

The second part outlines the measures government has taken or needs to take to ensure the protection of national interests, while the third stresses the importance of the cyber security economy, and issues surrounding public awareness and digital sovereignty.

Mr Gautier said the aim of the report was not to force operators to act proactively.

He explained: “Our reasoning is that no operator has an interest in having its customers targeted by computer attacks. We rely heavily on the incentive effect of the measure, operators have a commercial interest in offering this type of service to their customers.”

The government also stresses that the policies are not an end point, but rather part of “the construction of a digital space of trust in partnership and for the benefit of citizens, institutions and all those involved in the economic, industrial, social and cultural dynamism of our country”.