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KRITIS: Definition
KRITIS (KRITISche Infrastrukturen) is the regulatory framework for the protection of critical infrastructure, managed by the BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik) in Germany.
KRITIS targets vital sectors such as public administration, energy, water, food, transport, healthcare, finance, media, and information technology.
Organizations subject to KRITIS are required to comply with obligations such as regular audits, reporting of security incidents to the BSI, and the implementation of security measures. In this context, the choice of cybersecurity solutions is strategic, and the BSI certifies and recommends tools that comply with its own requirements. Failure to meet KRITIS requirements may result in fines.
KRITIS: A mandatory requirement for German critical infrastructure
KRITIS predates NIS 2, and the IT-Sicherheitsgesetz 2.0, adopted in 2021, strengthened this framework by expanding the scope of organizations covered. KRITIS also overlaps with regulatory frameworks in sectors governed by specific legal requirements, such as banking and insurance (DORA), energy (EnWG), and telecommunications (TKG). Depending on the sector and organizational structure, the scope of KRITIS can range from specific components to the entire legal entity.
More specifically, KRITIS requires organizations operating essential services for German society to:
- Implement technical and organizational measures to protect their IT systems and service processes in a manner proportionate to the risks
- Prevent downtime, ensure data integrity, authenticity, and confidentiality
- Minimize the impact of security incidents through resilience requirements
Regardless of the size of the organization, whether public or private, critical infrastructure must comply with both the NIS 2 and KRITIS frameworks, whose requirements are heightened to ensure the security of processes, components, and IT systems.
Tools for achieving KRITIS compliance
In addition to registering as an essential service operator and notifying the BSI and the BBK (Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance) in the event of a security incident, organizations subject to KRITIS are required to deploy cybersecurity tools aimed at detecting attacks and promoting resilience to ensure service continuity.
This means both equipping organizations with state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions suited to the challenges at hand (SOC, SIEM, EDR, EPP…) and actively preparing for crisis management. All processes and tools must undergo regular testing and auditing to validate their performance over time. CISO expertise is a key pillar for the proper implementation of KRITIS compliance measures!
How HarfangLab, certified by the BSI, helps critical infrastructure achieve KRITIS compliance
As certified solutions are recommended by the BSI for KRITIS environments, HarfangLab, through its certification, is a workspace detection and protection platform that meets the stringent cybersecurity requirements of KRITIS.
The platform enables critical infrastructure to comply with KRITIS through its threat detection capabilities, AI-powered response to cyberattacks (malware and ransomware, intrusion and espionage, data theft…), as well as its vulnerability detection and remediation features.
In terms of data protection, HarfangLab is a 100% European sovereign solution that guarantees strategic autonomy that is essential to critical infrastructure. In this regard, the solution can be deployed in cloud and on-premises environments with the same level of protection, and it meets the even stricter requirements of “air-gap” environments.
HarfangLab’s full feature set enables organizations of all sizes to meet KRITIS cybersecurity requirements, to detect and remediate threats, and improve cyber resilience.
Attack surface management and vulnerability handling
HarfangLab detects and remediates vulnerabilities and enables control over Shadow IT.
Automated response to known threats
HarfangLab’s EPP includes a firewall with granular configuration options to adapt protection to user context, an antivirus, and USB port management features.
Threat detection and response
HarfangLab’s EDR, certified by the BSI, relies on signature-based, behavioral, IoC, and AI detection engines. It provides protection against ransomware and DLL sideloading attacks in particular.
The transparency and customization of detection rules, full data access, and the visibility provided by the EDR across the entire information system enable cyber analysts to conduct thorough and rapid investigations in the event of a security incident. That translates directly to accelerated remediation and improved resilience.
In summary, thanks to its protection capabilities and precise infrastructure mapping, the platform helps critical infrastructure organizations comply with both KRITIS and NIS 2 requirements:
- Implementation of cyber risk assessment capabilities
- Deployment of security incident protection and detection tools
- Cyberattack remediation tools
And supports:
- Enforcement of security policies through encryption
- Protection against supply chain risks
- Definition of business continuity and recovery plans
Discover all the features of the HarfangLab platform in detail:
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