The ANSSI is a department with national competence attached to the General Secretary for National Defence and Securitý (SGDSN). It was created by decree in July 2009 to replace the Direction centrale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information. Among its missions, the ANSSI is in charge of defending the State's digital systems (and advises administrations on this matter), defining and monitoring the application of digital protection requirements for Vital Importance Operators, which it supports, and more broadly disseminating good digital security practices to businesses and individuals. The ANSSI also provides a national monitoring, detection, alert and response service for cyber attacks. Finally, since 2018, ANSSI has been issuing "Security Visas", a certification and qualification programme for security solutions. That's all there is to it. The ANSSI is no joke.