The National Security Authority (NSM) is a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 security agency (Direktorat) established on 1 January 2003 as the successor to Forsvarets sikkerhetsstab

Norwegian Ministry of Defence

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of the activities of subordinate agencies. The ministry is located at Glacisgata 1, Oslo,...

 (FO/S). It is responsible for preventative national security

National security

National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...

, ICT security matters, including the national CERT

Cert

Cert or CERT may refer to:* Certificate, an official document* Certiorari, a Latin legal term for a court order requiring judicial review of a case...

 (NorCERT), identifying national objects of special interest and reducing their vulnerability to internal and external threats. The agency performs threat analysis at the national level, and is also known to work with experts on computer security

Computer security

Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...

 and with data encryption

Encryption

In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...

. The cooperation with the Police Security Agency (PST) and the Norwegian Intelligence Service

Norwegian Intelligence Service

Etterretningstjenesten or the Norwegian Intelligence Service is a Norwegian military intelligence agency under the Chief of Defence and the Ministry of Defence....

 (NIS) has been identified as a very important part of the task of maintaining an overview of potential threats to objects, and instituting proactive activities.

NSM also cooperates with the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning

Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning

The Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning is a Norwegian government agency under the Minister of Justice and the Police...

 (DSB), to prevent loss of life and maintain health

Public health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

, environment

Natural environment

The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

, important society functions, and material assets in connection with accident

Accident

An accident or mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack of intention or necessity. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its...

s, catastrophes

Disaster

A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...

, terrorism

Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 and other unwanted events in peace

Peace

Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...

, crisis

Crisis

A crisis is any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society...

 and war

War

War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...

.
NSM is administratively governed and funded by the Ministry of Defense

Norwegian Ministry of Defence

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of the activities of subordinate agencies. The ministry is located at Glacisgata 1, Oslo,...

, but also reports to the Ministry of Justice and the Police in civilian matters.

Organizational structure

NSM is currently (as of 29 March 2007) organized in four technical/specialized departments and two administrative/support departments:

Legal/political basis

• Security Act
• Defence Secrets Act
• Defence Inventions Act
• Arrangement on certification of information systems and products (SERTIT)
• Coordinating role in preventative work and responses against IT security breaches aimed at critical national infrastructure (CNI) in Norway. (NorCERT)

Security Act

NSM have the following responsibilities pursuant of the Security Act:

• Gathering and analyzing of information relevant for preventative security services
• Information, advice and guidance
• Oversight and Inspections
• Development of security measures (R&D when needed)
• National and international cooperation
• Monitoring of information systems
• Technical Security Counter Measures (TSCM)
• Production and accounting of encryption material
• Central Personnel and Facility Security Clearance Registry
• Body of Appeal when Security Clearance is denied

External links

• http://www.nsm.stat.no