The top brass from NATO and the European Union met in Brussels at the NATO-EU Alliance headquarters to review and discuss its joint cyber defense strategies. Back in February 2016, NATO and the European Union (EU) signed a Technical Arrangement of cooperation on Cyber defense. Cyber defense is an integral part of NATOs core defense strategy and this agreement strengthens the cooperation of all Allies (29 countries) in areas covering cyber defense through information exchange, training, research and exercises.
By Mihir Bagwe, Tech Writer, CISO MAG
In July 2016, the Allies gave a thumbs-up to NATO’s defensive mandate and took a Cyber Defense Pledge. It now recognizes the cyberspace as a domain of operations in which NATO Allies should actively defend itself as it does in the air, land and sea. All Allies echoed a response by upgrading their cyber defenses and sharing information to prevent, mitigate and recover from cyber-attacks.
Since then, NATO’s Allies have benefited immensely from a norms-based, predictable and secure cyberspace. “Over the last (few) years NATO and the EU have intensified their engagement on cyber. We exchange real-time information between incident response teams, participate in each other’s exercises, and work on training and research,” said Dr. Antonio Missiroli, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.
The recent meeting that concluded in Brussels saw the security heads of the Allies have a healthy discussion and exchange of thoughts in matters related to the security of next-gen networks and system infrastructures. The other agenda included ways to enhance cyber defense and incidence response strategies in times of emergency.
“The EU welcomes the overall progress we have achieved on the implementation of the common actions in cyber security and defense. We must keep the tempo, while further deepening our cooperation in the framework of the two Joint Declarations. Coordination on cyber security and defense is at the heart of this strategic partnership,” said Pawel Herczynski, Managing Director for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service.
A Technical Arrangement on Cyber Defense was concluded between the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) and the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies (CERT-EU).
About the Author
Mihir Bagwe is a Tech Writer and part of the editorial team at CISO MAG. He writes news features, technical blogs, and conducts interviews on latest cybersecurity technologies and trends.
