Redmond's new initiative involves close cooperation between the government and private companies.
Microsoft announced the launch of its "Secure Future" initiative, promising to strengthen the built-in security of its products and platforms to protect customers from growing cybersecurity threats.
Against the background of frequent cyber attacks, the president of the corporation Brad Smith said: "The growing speed, scale, and complexity of cyber attacks require a new approach."
Microsoft's special cybercrime unit tracked the activity of 123 advanced branches of cybercriminals offering ransomware services with data theft or encryption. According to the company's report, extortion attempts have increased by more than 200% over the past year.
This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of password-related attacks. Their number has increased more than tenfold compared to the same period last year. The frequency of incidents has increased from about 3 billion monthly to an alarming 30 billion, underscoring the growing threat landscape.
In addition, Microsoft itself faced hacking attacks, revealing in July this year that Chinese cybercriminals stole more than 60,000 emails from the accounts of the US State Department after hacking the Exchange cloud email platform in May.
Among the main strategies of the new Secure Future initiative are the use of automation and artificial intelligence to transform software development, the creation of a unified identity management system, and the acceleration of the cloud security update cycle.
Charlie Bell, Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Security, emphasized that the company will inform about the main stages of implementation of this large-scale initiative, adhering to the principle of transparency.
Brad Smith added: "Protecting cybersecurity starts with technology companies and the private sector, and we are committed to taking new steps and taking stronger action. Especially when it comes to the activities of national hackers, cybersecurity is our shared responsibility."
"And just as tech companies need to do more, governments will also need to do more. If we can come together, we can take steps that will give the world what it deserves — a safer future, " Smith concluded.
Microsoft announced the launch of its "Secure Future" initiative, promising to strengthen the built-in security of its products and platforms to protect customers from growing cybersecurity threats.
Against the background of frequent cyber attacks, the president of the corporation Brad Smith said: "The growing speed, scale, and complexity of cyber attacks require a new approach."
Microsoft's special cybercrime unit tracked the activity of 123 advanced branches of cybercriminals offering ransomware services with data theft or encryption. According to the company's report, extortion attempts have increased by more than 200% over the past year.
This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of password-related attacks. Their number has increased more than tenfold compared to the same period last year. The frequency of incidents has increased from about 3 billion monthly to an alarming 30 billion, underscoring the growing threat landscape.
In addition, Microsoft itself faced hacking attacks, revealing in July this year that Chinese cybercriminals stole more than 60,000 emails from the accounts of the US State Department after hacking the Exchange cloud email platform in May.
Among the main strategies of the new Secure Future initiative are the use of automation and artificial intelligence to transform software development, the creation of a unified identity management system, and the acceleration of the cloud security update cycle.
Charlie Bell, Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Security, emphasized that the company will inform about the main stages of implementation of this large-scale initiative, adhering to the principle of transparency.
Brad Smith added: "Protecting cybersecurity starts with technology companies and the private sector, and we are committed to taking new steps and taking stronger action. Especially when it comes to the activities of national hackers, cybersecurity is our shared responsibility."
"And just as tech companies need to do more, governments will also need to do more. If we can come together, we can take steps that will give the world what it deserves — a safer future, " Smith concluded.
