The FINANCIAL — Microsoft Corp. announced three new global partnerships Wednesday with the Organization of American States, Europol and FIS to increase cooperation between international law enforcement and the private sector in combatting cybercrime and helping build a safer Internet.
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 confront the global spread of cybercrime. The conference follows the opening last fall of the Microsoft Cybercrime Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed specifically to advance the global fight against cybercrime.
The agreements establish a framework for cooperation and are intended to spur collaboration and help Microsoft work with each of the three organizations to pursue criminal enterprises engaged in cybercrime, according to Microsoft. Microsoft, the OAS, Europol and FIS anticipate that the collaboration will enable them to 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 these criminal organizations.
Microsoft is excited to mark its first collaboration with the Organization of American States. The OAS was established in part to strengthen collaboration among its member states, which currently includes 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, according to Microsoft.
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 boasts its own European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) based at Europol headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, has supported numerous major cybercrime operations involving malicious software and online child exploitation. Today’s agreement solidifies Europol’s commitment to continue providing targeted and effective approaches to combat cybercrime in Europe.
Financial crimes in particular pose a serious cybersecurity threat. As the world’s largest provider of financial technology, FIS™ is on the front lines of the fight to maintain cybersecurity of payments and financial transactions worldwide. By signing this MOU, FIS is taking another step on behalf of its financial institution clients to help protect them against cybercrime.
The Organization of American states is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. Today, the OAS brings together all 34 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere. In addition, it has granted permanent observer status to 67 states, as well as to the European Union (EU), according to Microsoft.
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