Microsoft forges new global partnerships to fight cybercrime

Mon, 2014-02-17 04:00 PM
Microsoft has announced three new global partnerships with theOrganization of American States(OAS), Europol, and FIS to increase cooperation between international law enforcement and the private sector to combat cybercrime and improve Internet safety.

Microsoft officials signed memorandums of understanding with representatives of the three organizations during the company's first annual Cybercrime Enforcement Summit, which brought together more than 60 leaders and experts from law enforcement, academia, and the private sector to share legal and technical solutions to combat cybercrime. The conference followed the opening last fall of the Microsoft Cybercrime Center, a facility designed to fight global cybercrime.

The agreements establish a framework for cooperation and are intended to help Microsoft work with each of the three organizations to pursue criminal enterprises engaged in cybercrime. Microsoft, the Washington-based OAS, Europol, and FIS, of Jacksonville, FL, anticipate that the collaboration will help them strengthen their forensic and technical analysis of malware and botnets; assessment and investigation of emerging malware threats; enforcement actions against cybercriminals; and the ultimate dismantling of criminal organizations.

"Cybercriminals are increasingly sophisticated in preying on consumers, including children and senior citizens," said Brad Smith, Microsoft executive vice president and general counsel. "These agreements will help the private and public sectors fight cybercrime more effectively, while protecting our customers' privacy."

This is Microsoft’s first collaboration with the OAS. The OAS was established in part to strengthen collaboration among its member states, which currently include all 34 independent states of the Americas. OAS is committed to developing a culture of cybersecurity by taking effective, preventative measures to anticipate, address, and respond to cyberattacks.

"There are no borders when it comes to cybercrime, and the criminals are located worldwide, making it impossible for any one organization to fight cybercrime alone," said OAS Ambassador Adam Blackwell. "We must harness the power of partnerships to have a greater impact against these criminals and keep the Internet safer for everyone."

Microsoft often collaborates with law enforcement organizations. One example is the recent partnership with Europol to successfully disrupt the dangerous ZeroAccess botnet, which infected up to 2 million computers and stole millions of dollars from online advertisers. Europol, which has its own European Cybercrime Centre based at Europol headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, has supported numerous major cybercrime operations involving malicious software and online child exploitation.

Financial crimes in particular pose a serious cybersecurity threat. As a leading provider of financial technology, FIS works to maintain the security of payments and financial transactions worldwide. "This partnership with Microsoft will help FIS to better protect its clients from cybercrime and make global financial transactions safer for our clients and their customers," said Greg Montana, FIS executive vice president and chief risk officer. FIS serves more than 14,000 institutions in over 110 countries.

http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/40251?c=cyber_security