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The Pentagon has hosted a meeting of the Five Eyes security alliance to discuss zero-trust cyber security.
The US invited representatives from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK to Fort Meade in Maryland, which is where the Defence Information Systems Agency and US Cyber Command are based.
From 14 to 16 December, the second Security Interoperability in the Tactical Environment Summit was held, during which the Five Eyes alliance discussed the topic of zero-trust architecture and networks and aimed to improve government strategies.
According to a release by the Department of Defence (DoD), the meeting saw Australia and the UK share their zero-trust procedures, and additions made to the Pentagon’s strategy.
Zero trust is a security model in which it is assumed that no party is verified or can be trusted at any point, meaning everyone and everything must be verified continuously for access to be granted.
One core goal of the US in implementing secure zero-trust protocol is to prepare for the rollout of its Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy, which will combine all wings of the armed forces into a unified network powered by AI. A cloud-like environment will be established, allowing for the joint forces to communicate and share intelligence and data.
“As the United States military pursues digital modernisation and innovation — across departments, services, and countries — it will continue to capitalise on forums like the [Security Interoperability in the Tactical Environment] Summit to promote a shared understanding of how to advance JADC2,” said the DoD.
The ramp up in security comes as cyber attacks from Russia and China on US and Australian networks increase.
Russian hacking group Cold River reportedly attempted to gain access to the networks of three nuclear labs in the US in December last year, while the attack on Medibank that saw the health data of thousands of Australians made public is believed to have been launched by Russian group REvil.