India, Australia, Japan and the United States jointly to take action against malicious cyber activities

In a stern warning to state-sponsored malicious cyber activities, the grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the United States collectively called Quad has said they would assist each other in ensuring the security and resilience of regional cyberinfrastructure.

A joint statement issued after foreign ministers Penny Wong of Australia, S Jaishankar of India, Hayashi Yoshimasa of Japan and US Secretary of State Tony Blinken met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York called on states to take reasonable steps to address ransomware operations emanating from within their territory. "We exercise responsibility to assist each other in the face of malicious cyber activity, including from ransomware, against critical infrastructure," it said.

The joint statement described this as a call to action. The foreign ministers said that the Quad countries are committed to an open, secure, stable, accessible, and peaceful cyberspace and support regional initiatives to enhance the capacity of countries to implement the UN Framework for Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace.

"We strongly believe that focused initiatives for enhancing the cyber capabilities of Indo-Pacific countries would ensure the security and resilience of regional cyberinfrastructure," it said. Recalling the last Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting on February 11 this year, the ministers said they are committed to addressing the global threat of ransomware, which has been an obstacle to Indo-Pacific economic development and security.

"The transnational nature of ransomware can adversely affect our national security, finance sector and business enterprise, critical infrastructure, and the protection of personal data. We appreciate the progress made by the 36 countries supporting the US-led Counter Ransomware Initiative and the regular, practical-oriented consultations against cybercrime in the Indo-Pacific region," they said. According to the statement, Quad countries commit to further cooperation on capacity-building programmes and initiatives that are aimed at enhancing regional cybersecurity and improving resilience against ransomware attacks in the Indo-Pacific.