Microsoft has announced the opening of a Cybercrime Center on its Redmond, Wash. campus to advance the global fight against internet crime.
According to a press release, the Cybercrime Center will tackle online crimes associated with botnets, malware, technology-facilitated child exploitation,and intellectual property theft. Associate general counsel of Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit, David Finn, says that people worldwide can confidently use their computing devices and service with confidence that internet safety is the top priority.
"The Microsoft Cybercrime Center is where our experts come together with customers and partners to focus on one thing: keeping people safe online," said Finn in the release. "By combining sophisticated tools and technology with the right skills and new perspectives, we can make the Internet safer for everyone."
Microsoft says that several "groundbreaking" technologies will lead to real time visualization and identification of global cyberthreats. Those advanced tech include online organized crime mapping network SitePrint, anti-child-pornography technology PhotoDNA and investigative capability through cyberforensics among others. Though Microsoft along with other tech companies have turned over large amounts of data on U.S. users to the National Security Agency (NSA), it won't be handling government spying through the Cybercrime Center.
Third-party Cybersecurity experts from around the world can use a separate and secure location in the center for an indefinite period of time to work with Microsoft's experts. Microsoft hopes to build partnerships with law enforcement, academia, industry and customers. Executive director of INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation Noboru Nakatani said "the public sector significantly benefits from private sector expertise" provided by Microsoft in the fight against cybercrime.
"The security community needs to build on its coordinated responses to keep pace with today's cybercriminals," said Nakatani.
Key precedents in cybersecurity have been set by Microsoft over the years. According to Steve Santorelli, a former Microsoft investigator and Scotland Yard cybercrime detective, the company has been involved in "at least half of the major, significant takedowns" in the past several years.
