NATO, Finland deepen cooperation on cyber defense | TheHill – The Hill

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Finland are stepping up their cooperation on cyber defense in the face of increased threats in cyberspace and a resurgent Russia.

NATO and Finland on Thursday signed a political framework agreement on cyber defense cooperation that will allow them to better protect and strengthen their networks.

We look forward to enhancing our situational awareness and exchanging best practices with Finland, including through dedicated points of contact for rapid information exchange on early warning information and lessons learned, Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, NATOs assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges, said.

This arrangement is a good example of the cooperation between NATO and Finland it is practical, substantial and at the same time mutually beneficial, Juusti said in a statement. Finland sees many opportunities of enhanced cooperation for example in conducting training and exercises in the cyber domain.

The new agreement comes on the heels of the Russian governments alleged cyber meddling in the U.S. presidential election. The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Moscow used cyberattacks and disinformation to undermine confidence American democracy and damage Democratic nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonThe 16 most memorable quotes from Trump's press conference Trump airs grievances at first full press conference Trump to black reporter: Help me meet with Black Caucus MORE, which Russia has denied.

There are now suspicions that Moscow will also try to meddle in forthcoming European elections, including those in France and Germany.

NATO has focused more on cyber defense as cyber intrusions have become more pervasive and damaging, stoking concerns about the potential for attacks that might compromise critical infrastructure. At the Warsaw Summit last July, member states recognized cyberspace as a domain of operations in which NATO must defend itself.

NATO infrastructure came under threat from 500 cyberattacks each month in 2016, an increase of 60 percent over the previous year, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg revealed last month.

Finland and NATO actively cooperate on security and other operations, and the country has shown signs of wanting to boost cooperation with the alliance. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled that he might move troops closer to the Finnish-Russian border if Finland were to join NATO.

NATO member states have bolstered troop presence in the Baltic States and Poland to deter Russian aggression in eastern Europe, nearly three years after Moscows annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula.

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NATO, Finland deepen cooperation on cyber defense | TheHill - The Hill