By Emma Elebeke

As Cyber security threats continues to assume a new dimension, the International Telecommunications Union, ITU says greater international co-operation between governments and the ICT industry would necessary to stem the tide.

The global union said that the recent discovery of the highly complex Flame malware by Kaspersky Lab underscors the need for such a co-ordinated response by stakeholders.

Flame was discovered by Kaspersky Lab experts following a technical analysis requested by the ITU into an unknown piece of malware which was deleting sensitive information.

For the ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré, Flame is a prime example of why governments and industry must work together to tackle cybersecurity at the global level.

He said that early warning of new threats is vital and that it is critical that best practice on required corrective steps is shared in order to best protect the global information society.

Cybersecurity will be a major agenda  at ITU Telecom World 2012 in Dubai later this year.