News / Foreign Policy

US to work with Israel on cyber security: Trump's adviser

Monday, 26 June 2017 2:48 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 26 June 2017 2:49 PM ]

White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert speaks at a Cyber Security Conference held at Tel Aviv University, June 26, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser says the United States will seek to work with Israel and other countries to develop new ways to counter cyber attacks.

Thomas Bossert, assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, said Monday that a US-Israeli working group would meet this week to discuss cooperation on cyber security.

Representatives of the State Department, Homeland Security and the FBI will sit down with their Israeli counterparts for the meeting, Reuters reported.

"These high level meetings represent the first step in strengthening bilateral ties on cyber issues following President Trump’s visit to Israel" last month, Bossert said at a cyber security conference in Tel Aviv.

"The agility Israel has in developing solutions will innovate cyber defenses that we can test here and bring back to America. Perfect security may not be achievable but we have within our reach a safer and more secure internet."

Bossert said efforts will be focused on developing "a different operational conscript" to prevent attacks before they reach networks and critical infrastructure.

Officials will also discuss ways to punish cyber criminals.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Bossert said the US would continue to support Israel on all security issues in the region.

"President Trump understands that the United States cannot lessen our engagement in this region or its support for Israel," Bossert said.

The Trump administration will seek out partnerships with industry and academia and establish more agreements with other countries, he added.

"The next step must be gaining international cooperation to impose consequences on those who act contrary to the growing consensus," he added.

“The United States will move forward internationally in meaningful bilateral efforts such as the one we enjoy with Great Britain and now with Israel while continuing to build like-minded coalition partners that can act together.”

At the conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel faces dozens of cyber attacks every month.

The US and Israel are known to have launched cyber attacks against other countries, including against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

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