AT&T, Singtel and Telefonica launched a joint cybersecurity initiative, sharing threat intelligence gathered by their respective security units in a bid to more proactively detect and combat malicious activity.
AVP of product development for AT&T Cybersecurity, Jaime Blasco told Mobile World Live his division began swapping information about emerging and ongoing attacks with Trustwave (majority owned by Singtel) and Telefonica unit ElevenPaths in January, using private channels on a threat exchange platform operated by the US operator’s Alien Labs division.
Information from multiple sources is exchanged, with anonymised data from each company’s security operations centres, investigations and the Alien Labs research team. Blasco stressed no customer information is included in the exchange.
In a joint press release, the operators said pooling intelligence about malware, phishing campaigns and other activity provides a “more global and complete view of cybersecurity developments,” allowing them to take proactive measures to fight threats. The collaboration is believed to be the first of its kind between telco security units, they added.
Global head of alliances at Trustwave, Chng Tien San said “access to global actionable threat intelligence has become increasingly crucial as cyber threats traverse sovereign boundaries”.
All three operators are part of the Global Telco Security Alliance, which was formed by Telefonica, Singtel, Etisalat and SoftBank in 2018.
Blasco said other alliance members are expected to join the information sharing initiative.-Mobile World Live
