India and the United Kingdom have committed to a joint program of cooperation to increase cybersecurity. The commitment builds on the Enhanced Cyber Security Partnership, which was announced by the two countries in May 2021.
India and the U.K. are concerned by the increased willingness of states and their proxies to undertake malicious cyber activities contrary to identified norms of responsible state behavior in cyberspace. The two countries will therefore deepen coordination on mitigation strategies against advanced persistent threats as well as cooperation on tackling cybercrime.
India and the U.K. are working in close cooperation under the International Counter Ransomware Initiative. They will also work together to counter cybercrime by preventing, deterring, mitigating, investigating and prosecuting these crimes, ensuring speedy justice for the victims of cybercrime and taking into account the need for appropriate safeguards including data protection.
Both countries have pledged to work in partnership to increase their mutual cyber resilience, taking a holistic and whole-of-society approach. They will complete joint work to identify shared vulnerabilities, and promote effective public-private partnerships, with a view to ensuring decisions on systems design and deployment take into account public safety protections and increasing the awareness and ability of the public and infrastructure owners, to increase resilience against malicious cyber activity. They will continue to work closely with industry and through international standards organizations to ensure Internet of Things connectable devices are secure by design. India and the U.K. will also support efforts to increase the availability and diversity of cyber skills in their workforces and promote people-to-people and educational links to enhance awareness in the domain of cyberspace.
In a joint statement announcing the commitment, the countries said that the private sector plays an important role as developers and implementers of new technologies, and in relation to data management. India and the U.K. pledged to work in collaboration with industry to deliver shared responsibilities to improve online safety and protect users online, working together with multi-stakeholders. They will continue to collaborate closely with digital service providers, social media and telecommunications companies, encouraging cooperation to embed safety in the services they offer while ensuring the protection of user privacy and their cooperation with the relevant government entities especially with the onset of 5G and 6G technologies. Both countries welcomed steps taken so far by industry and urge them to redouble their efforts.
Read the statement at the U.K. government
