You might have heard that January 2012 marked the ten year milestone of Bill Gates’ now famous email that started Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft. This email resulted in many changes across the company that have cascaded over the years. I have worked at Microsoft since the late 1990s, working in several roles since that time, and have seen many of the resulting changes firsthand. Perhaps the most important change at Microsoft was the creation and institutionalization of the Microsoft Security...

Last week the White House released its National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security fact sheet. I found this to be a very important step forward in addressing one of the most complex challenges facing the United States, as well as, governments around the world. The strategy identifies twin goals that are intended to promote efficient and secure movement of goods and to foster a resilient supply chain. While this strategy is not specifically focused on managing the risk related to the information...

Trending Security News The week ended with some ruffled feathers as Twitter announced it would allow some content in certain countries to be censored. The New York Times headlined its coverage as “ Twitter Announces Micro-Censorship Policy ” while the Mercury News reported that “ Activists afraid Twitter’s censorship policy will stifle dissent .” The policy left some parties unhappy, as reflected in the Huffington Post: " Twitter Boycott Planned To Protest Twitter...

  Trending Security News This week industry protests against the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate ended with both bills being pulled. MSNBC’s headline captured the news with “ Congress withdraws SOPA, PIPA anti-piracy measures .” The New York Times earlier in the week wrote of industry involvement in their story: “ A Political Coming of Age for the Tech Industry .” In related news Hillicon Valley wrote of...

  Trending Security News This week, Microsoft Trustworthy Computing marked its 10 year milestone and several news stories focused on learning lessons and contributions to security. Elinor Mills’ CNET article captured the sentiment: “ Microsoft security--you've come a long way, baby .” A Threat Post article, Ten Years After Gates's Memo, Effects Still Being Felt , noted that the Bill Gates’ memo launched the initiative back in 2002 and “was not just a directive for Microsoft developers, but a...

I was not at Microsoft ten years ago this week, but the ten year milestone for Trustworthy Computing (TwC) has a lot of significance for me, given that I have spent most of that time working with people here at Microsoft to improve security and privacy for Microsoft products.  I was hired in December 2002 as part of what I think of as the “TwC Ramp Up” phase following the kick off of Trustworthy Computing. Everyone has their own perspective on what Trustworthy Computing means to them, but I...

  Trending Security News The news this week had a science fiction style with reports that the Japanese Defense Ministry is nearing completion of a "seek-and-destroy" computer virus capable of disabling cyberattacks at their source. The Register headlined its coverage: Japan tasks Fujitsu with creating search-and-destroy cyber-weapon . The Security News Daily ran Experts Fear Japanese Counter-Virus Could Backfire with a a photo of the 1950s Japanese movie monster Godzilla stomping through...

The threat landscape in India has turned out to be more active than initially suspected. India has had a relatively low malware infection rate for some time, which seemed subdued for a region that has such a large high tech industry. But with the new data we recently released in the latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (volume 11), the plot thickens. For example, the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) cleaned malware on 2.9 computers for every 1,000 it executed on...

Trending Security News In August we started posting the Weekly Roundup to share trending security news from many viewpoints. Week by week the flow of news provides insights into the ever growing challenges faced in the global efforts to secure cyberspace, as well as the progress made and security guidance as well as new and emerging security issues. As 2011 gives way to 2012, here’s a look back at the security news stories that caught our eye. Wishing you a Happy New Year! From Weekly...

  Trending Security News Several stories this week in security focused on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Wall Street Journal ran a story on China Hackers Hit U.S. Chamber of Commerce ; Network World’s coverage focused on Chinese hack on U.S. Chamber went undetected for 6 months ; while The Washington Post wrote that China hack of Chamber of Commerce highlights ‘spear-phishing’ dangers . The breach caught the attention of Congress, with Hillicon Valley reporting Chairman Rogers: Economic spying...