NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) India and Israel are exchanging information on cybersecurity as part of a bilateral cooperation framework for countering threats emanating from the rapid digitization of processes amid the coronavirus pandemic, Deputy Chief of Israeli Mission to India Yedidia-Clein told Sputnik in an interview.
In mid-July, Israel and India signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the scope of exchanged information on cybersecurity amid threats exacerbated by coronavirus-compelled rapid digitization.
"We do not have the complete strategy yet but they are working on cooperation and exchanging information on the cyber threats. We know that COVID-19 has shown countries that we are vulnerable also on the cyber front," Yedidia-Clein said.
According to the diplomat, the bilateral cybersecurity cooperation also includes an exchange of best practices and experience.
Israel was among the first countries to lock down due to the pandemic and then reopen once the peak was passed. The Israeli government amply used digital tools for tracing contacts of virus-positive nationals. As of Tuesday, there are more than 82,000 cases and 598 deaths, according to the latest WHO figures.
India, where cases were relatively few in the first half of the year, has emerged as the world's third-largest outbreak in a matter of a month this summer. The Indian health authorities have so far reported more than 2.2 million cases and over 44,000 deaths.
