The Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information (ANSSI) is the French government body tasked with protecting the information systems of the state, public administrations, and operators of vital importance (opérateurs d'importance vitale, OIVs). It was created in 2009 by decree and sits under the authority of the Secretariat-General for National Defence and Security (SGDSN), which itself reports to the Prime Minister.
ANSSI's mandate is explicitly defensive: unlike some peer agencies, it does not conduct offensive cyber operations, which in France fall to the military's COMCYBER and to intelligence services. This separation between defence and offence is a defining feature of the French model and is often contrasted with the US NSA or the UK GCHQ, where signals intelligence and cyber-defence sit closer together.
Its main functions include:
- Incident response through the governmental CERT (CERT-FR), coordinating responses to attacks on public bodies and critical operators.
- Regulation and certification, including issuing security visas, qualifying cybersecurity products and service providers, and enforcing obligations on OIVs under the 2013 Loi de programmation militaire.
- Implementation of EU rules, notably the NIS Directive and its successor NIS2, for which ANSSI is the designated French competent authority.
- Strategic guidance, publishing threat reports, technical guidelines, and the Panorama de la menace.
ANSSI has publicly attributed or analysed several high-profile intrusion campaigns, including activity linked to the Sandworm group against French hosting providers, and has issued advisories during major events. It also led cybersecurity preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, coordinating with organisers and operators well before the opening ceremony.
For MUN delegates and IR researchers, ANSSI is a useful reference point when discussing national cyber governance models, EU cybersecurity harmonisation, and the civilian–military division of labour in cyberspace.
Example
In 2024, ANSSI coordinated cybersecurity protection for the Paris Olympic Games, working with organisers and critical operators to monitor and respond to intrusion attempts.
Frequently asked questions
No. ANSSI is a civilian agency under the SGDSN, which reports to the Prime Minister. Offensive cyber operations are handled separately by COMCYBER and the intelligence services.
Keep learning