NATO NCI signs new cyber agreement

The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) agency has extended its cyber coalition industry network, with a new Industry Partnership Agreement signed with Belgium telecommunications company, Proximus, the agency announced on 17 February.

NATO has signed a series of agreements with industry partners that aim to improve both parties' ability to detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats quickly.

The agreement with Proximus will facilitate rapid and early bilateral exchange of non-classified technical information related to cyber threats and vulnerabilities. This information will be integrated into the agency's 24/7 detection and prevention processes, allowing both NATO and the company to boost situational awareness and better protect their networks.

The need for information sharing and strong industry partnerships to address cyber challenges was a key issue at NATO's 2016 Warsaw Summit. This agreement marks the most recent part of the effort to strengthen the NATO alliance's cyber defence posture.

Koen Gijsbers, general manager of the NCI Agency, said: 'NATO and industry defences against common cyber threats are stronger because of these agreements.

'Through our information-sharing programme, hundreds of indicators of compromise have been shared between NATO and our industry partners, and the pace of exchanges continues to grow. As a company that is forward-leaning on the creation of information exchange platforms to foster new solutions for the digital age, Proximus will be a valuable partner on cyber defence through our Industry Partnership Agreement framework.'