Five Eyes intelligence alliance meets in Glasgow to discuss cyberthreats

Representatives from each member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance are gathering in Glasgow to discuss how they can better collaborate and share information to combat cyberthreats.

Today sees the opening of 2019 edition of the annual CyberUK conference hosted by the National Cyber Security Centre. The event, which this year takes place at the SEC Centre in Scotland’s largest city, marks the first time that representatives of all Five Eyes members have made a public appearance in the UK, according to the NCSC.

The cyber agency – which is part of GCHQ – added that the on-stage panel debate “will open discussions between key allies across the world and address global collaboration on threat sharing, joint operations and beyond”.

The discussion will feature NCSC chief executive Ciaran Martin alongside Jan Thornborough from the New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre, Scott McLeod from the Australian Signals Directorate, Scott Jones of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, and Rob Joyce of the US National Security Agency. The gathering will be chaired by Yasmin Brooks, director of cyber at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

“Cybersecurity is an international team sport, and we are delighted to host allies from around the world in this public way to discuss how we best defend from common adversaries,” said NCSC CEO Martin. “Cyberattacks do not respect international boundaries, and many of the threats and vulnerabilities we face are shared around the globe. Each nation has sovereignty to defend itself as it sees best fit, but it’s vital that we work closely with our allies to make the world as safe as possible.”

Over the next two days, CyberUK will welcome 2,500 attendees from across the government, law enforcement, and commercial sectors. This year the event will focus on how best to encourage greater cyber awareness and instil best practice among individual citizens.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The UK is one of the leading cyber powers in the world – but this is a global threat that needs a global response. That’s why we are working closely with our allies across the globe to deter and tackle cyber threats, share information and respond in a coordinated way to impose a price on malicious cyber activity.”

The Five Eyes alliance, which covers a total of more than 20 separate intelligence and security agencies across the five member states, allows organisations to collaborate and share information for collective benefit.