Created in 2009 as part of the Prime Minister’s Office and under the authority of the Secretary General for Defence and National Security, the French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) is the national authority in matters of cybersecurity and cyberdefence. The French cybersecurity model relies on the strict separation of defensive and offensive missions at the state level and, within this framework, ANSSI is responsible for coordinating the defence and protection of information systems.
As such, the Agency’s primary objective is, at the interministerial level, to construct and organise the protection of the country from cyberattacks and to contribute to the stability of the cyberspace. Its activities are part of the state’s sovereign duties, in the general interest of public security policy and of administrative, economic, and broader societal resilience.
ANSSI’s work revolves around five main missions:
- Defending critical information systems and the victims of large-scale cyberattacks;
- Being familiar with the state of the art in cybersecurity and with cyberspace threats;
- Sharing knowledge, recommendations, and expertise in digital safety;
- Assisting the national and international ecosystem;
- Regulating cybersecurity organisations, goods, and services.
