Lords 'shocked' by lack of cyber security cooperation

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The UK is well-placed to handle a cyber attack, but more cooperation is needed between NATO and the European Union on the globally important issue.

This is according to a report from the House of Lords, which examined how well the UK and the rest of the EU would hold up against a criminal or politically-minded attack.

"We are conscious that cyber-attacks, or natural or man-made disasters, can cause acute disruption to the internet in the short term," the report said.

"However we believe that the United Kingdom is reasonably well placed to cope with such disruptions. We note that it is thought to be a leader among Member States, with developed practices that set benchmarks for others to adopt," it added.

While EU nations infrastructures are "heavily interdependent," there are major inconsistencies in security - leaving all open to damage if one weaker nation is attacked. "The development of defences against cyber-attacks should be a priority for all Member States," the House of Lords EU committee said in a statement.

The report stressed that cyber security is a global issue, and can't be managed just by the EU. "The Committee were shocked by the lack of cooperation between the EU and NATO, and recommends that they urgently develop their thinking on working together," the statement read, calling for more "formal" relationships between the two bodies.

The report called for states to run "resilience exercices" and consider including the US as well.

Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Home Affairs Lord Jopling said: "We believe strongly that the Government and the EU should be giving greater attention to how cyber-security could be developed on a global basis. The internet has no borders, and it is important that any proposals from the Commission are considered in a global context."

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