India and US Cyber Agree Security Pact to Combat Crime

U.S. President Barack Obama and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Facing common threat from overseas cyber-attacks, India and the US recently decided to join hands in combating cyber crime that would not only help them address these challenges, but also advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious goal of a digital India.

Ahead of PM Modi's meeting with President Barack Obama in New York, officials are, "committed to robust cooperation on cyber issues" to increase global cyber security and promote the digital economy.

The fourth India US Cyber Dialogue was led by the US Cyber security Coordinator and Special Assistant to the President Michael Daniel and by India's Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta.

In a joint statement issued by the White House, the delegations discussed a range of cyber issues including cyber threats, enhanced cyber security information sharing, cyber incident management, cyber security cooperation in the context of "Make in India," efforts to combat cyber crime, Internet governance issues, and norms of state behaviour in cyberspace.

The two delegations identified a variety of opportunities for increased collaboration on cyber security capacity-building, cyber security research and development, combating cyber crime, international security, and Internet governance, and intend to pursue an array of follow-on activities to bolster their cyber security partnership and achieve concrete outcomes, it said.

In addition to the formal dialogue, the delegations met with representatives from the private sector to discuss issues related to cyber security and the digital economy.

The Indian delegation also met with Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism Lisa Monaco, the White House said.

"Cyber security is fundamentally a team endeavor, and it is essential that international partners like India and the US work together closely, along with industry and civil society, to raise our cyber defences in both the short and long term, to disrupt and interrupt malicious actors in cyberspace, and to improve our ability to respond to and recover from cyber threats," Michael Daniel, said.

Mr Daniel said he is especially encouraged by India's recent statements of support for the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.
NDTV: http://bit.ly/1DXWuxD