NATO and Symantec have signed an information sharing agreement which will see both parties exchange threat intelligence to build resilience to cyber attacks.
The agreement, signed within the framework of the NATO Industry Cyber Partnership (NICP), will see information flow two ways between the security giant and the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency.
According to NATO, effective info sharing on threats can be the best way to improve resilience and incident handling and mitigate vulnerabilities.
"Today's agreement is as an excellent and concrete example of how NATO and Industry can work side by side to confront difficult challenges in the cyber domain," said ambassador Sorin Ducaru, assistant secretary general of NATO's Emerging Security Challenges Division.
“When it comes to the cyber threat, none of us acting alone can address these challenges as effectively as if we act together. Increased information sharing translates into better cyber defense for NATO, allies and our industry partners such as Symantec."
NCI general manager, Koen Gijsbers, added that NATO is facing “new and increasingly dangerous threats to cybersecurity.”
“To avoid it, NCI Agency strongly believes in rapid and early information sharing on threats and vulnerabilities with leading companies worldwide, such as Symantec,” he added. “Trust is the key to success."
The NATO Industry Cyber Partnership was ratified at the organization’s Wales Summit in September 2014.
The idea is to improve the sharing of cybersecurity “expertise, information and experience” and enhance NATO’s cyber defenses.
It’s also hoped the NICP will help improve understanding of cyber risks, build “access and trust” between NATO and the private sector and boost cyber defense education and training.
NATO has been a very public target for nation state hackers over the years—especially those from Russia and China.
The group known as “Pawn Storm” (aka APT28)—which has been linked to the Kremlin—was one of the most recent to attack the military coalition.
Photo © Gilmanshin