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Five Eyes: Spy Chiefs To Discuss Cyber Threat

Specialists from across government, industry and law enforcement will attend the two-day summit (Picture: MOD).

Members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance are to share a stage in the UK for the first time.

UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand representatives will meet at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) annual conference CYBERUK in Glasgow on Wednesday.

They will discuss their experiences and how they can work together to defend against shared cybersecurity threats.

Around 2,500 security experts are expected to attend the conference.

NCSC chief executive Ciaran Martin said: "Cyber security 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.

"Cyber attacks 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."

Members appearing from Five Eyes are Mr Martin, Rob Joyce, from the US National Security Agency, Scott Jones, head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Scott McLeod, of Australia's Assure and Enable, and Jan Thornborough, of New Zealand's National Cyber Security Centre.

Cyber hacking code (Picture: Crown Copyright).
The experts will discuss how countries can work together to defend against shared cybersecurity threats (Picture: Crown Copyright).

Meanwhile, it has been reported Theresa May has given the go-ahead to the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei to help build Britain's new 5G network, despite warnings of the potential threat to national security.

The National Security Council (NSC), which is chaired by the Prime Minister, has agreed to allow the firm limited access to build "noncore" infrastructure such as antennas, according to The Daily Telegraph.

A number of ministers, including Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt are said to have raised concerns about the decision.

Specialists from across government, industry and law enforcement will attend the two-day summit.

It will include speeches from GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming and Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington.

The theme of CYBERUK 2019 is to develop good cybersecurity for the public and help to make the technology they buy more secure.

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.

"I am delighted to see 2,500 cybersecurity experts at CYBERUK in Glasgow, working to make cyberspace free, open, peaceful and secure."

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