Posted by TJ CampanaSenior Program Manager, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit
I recently had the privilege and pleasure of joining author Mark Bowden and New York Times technology reporter John Markoff at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., where we spoke about Mark’s new book, Worm: The First Digital World War. Worm is an account of the Conficker computer worm and the group of security professionals (myself included) who came together to combat the proliferating malware as members of the Conficker Working Group.
The Conficker worm first appeared in 2008 and quickly created one of the largest and fastest-growing botnets in the world. Conficker infects computers through a number of mechanisms, including file sharing and via removable drives.
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Posted by Susie AdamsChief Technology Officer, Microsoft Federal
Greater adoption of cloud computing is considered an inevitable trend by regulators and lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle, according to my fellow panelists at Tuesday’s “@Microsoft Conversations on Privacy” at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
However, we all agreed that the pace of cloud adoption is largely going to be determined by the speed at which cloud providers, consumers and policymakers can clarify roles and responsibilities when it comes to protecting data held by cloud service providers.
Posted by Scott PitaskyCorporate Vice President, Human Resources Talent & Organization Capability Group, Microsoft
On the eve of Veteran’s Day, Microsoft made a permanent digital salute to mark the service of our employees who have served in the U.S. military.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and others revealed the “Wall of Honor” at our Redmond headquarters on Thursday in front of a crowd of employees, thanking them and their families for their sacrifices.
Posted by Rob BernardChief Environmental Strategist, Microsoft
Microsoft is in Durban, South Africa, this week for the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP17. This year, Microsoft is teaming up with a number of organizations to demonstrate how data visualization tools can help transform our understanding of the world. I have little doubt that we can transform how people make decisions about issues surrounding our environment by providing people, organizations and policy makers with interactive maps and tools which help them better understand how society is using its limited resources.
I am quite excited by a number of the great partnerships we have been working on, which will hopefully contribute to a transition toward a more powerful discussion on environmental issues.
Posted by Brad SmithExecutive Vice President & General Counsel, Microsoft
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) today announced that 39 attorneys general, representing both parties and from states across the nation including Washington, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Colorado and Illinois, sent a letter to the U.S. Federal Trade Commissioners affirming their commitment to use their existing state powers, and calling for stronger federal enforcement against companies around the world that use stolen information technology to gain an unfair business advantage and who seek to sell their products in the U.S. The 39 attorneys general represent 36 US states and three US territories: Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The letter clearly highlights the impact of the issue and the resolve of the attorneys general to tackle it directly, while also calling for additional state and federal action. As the letter says, “Competition is unfairly distorted…when a manufacturer gains a cost advantage by using stolen information technology. It offends our sense of fairness when such wrongdoers reap a commercial advantage from their illegal acts.”