Microsoft has been fighting off botnets and hackers for the last few years with Project MARS (Microsoft Active Response for Security). They have crippled major botnet networks including Waledac, Rustock, Kelihos, Zeus, Nitol, and Bamital.
Today, Microsoft plans to take their fight for web justice to the next level using their own cloud resources. The newly designed Windows Azure-based Cyber Threat Intelligence Program (C-TIP) allows computer emergency response teams to respond in near real time. TJ Campana, director of security in Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit, stated that:
“(C-TIP) will allow organizations to have better situational awareness of cyber threats, and more quickly and efficiently notify people of potential security issues with their computers.”
Last Friday, Microsoft’s Orlando Ayala joined the Secretary of State of Telecommunications and Information Society of Spain to announce an agreement for the Spanish CERT, to become one of the first organizations to hook up with the company’s C-TIP service. The new technology will allow ISPs and CERTs to receive updated threat data every 30 seconds; the data will alert the organizations of any infected computers in their network or domain.
This doesn't mark the first time Microsoft has reached out to share security information with the global community. The latest project from the technology conglomerate is the evolution of its original Cyber Threat Intelligence program, which was developed three years ago. The old program had sent regular emails to participating ISPs and CERTs with security and threat intelligence. What makes Microsoft’s latest contribution to community so special, is its 30 second update rate and larger cloud based scale.
Microsoft states that it is excited to continue working with the security community in its “proactive fight against cybercrime”. For more information on the project, you can visit Microsoft’s Security and Defense blog here.
With Microsoft looking over the entire globe’s security condition, are they our new protector or is this the beginning of the long anticipated Skynet – you decide.
Sources: Microsoft on the Issues
