US, UK To ‘Cyber Attack’ One Another to Test Defenses Against ISIS Threats

The US and the UK will be launching cyber attacks against one another to test mutual defenses following last week’s hacking of social media accounts of the US military’s central command (CENTCOM) allegedly by ISIS sympathizers.

Both the nations are looking to increase sharing of information about threats and to work out how to best protect them and create a system that lets hostile states and organization know they shouldn't attack, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said in an interview published by the BBC on Friday.

“Cyber attacks are one of the biggest modern threats that we face," Cameron said. Cameron is visiting Washington for talks with US president Barack Obama. One of the topics high on the agenda is digital security.

"It is happening already but it needs to be stepped up," Cameron said, adding that British intelligence service GCHQ and the US equivalent NSA have know-how that should be shared more.

"It is not just about protecting companies, it is also about protecting people's data, about protecting people's finances. These attacks can have real consequences to people's prosperity," he said.