Microsoft yesterday posted the announcement “Digital Detectives” to publicly herald its seriously cutting-edge Cybercrime Center.  We’ve seen Microsoft help shut down botnets and other cybercrime in the past, but this fascinating new effort will be taking this on at a whole new level.  The facility looks like something out of “24”, a science fiction or action movie, and it’s based in Redmond, the company’s headquarters.  There’s no Jack Bauer here, but inside, the area puts together the company’s security research teams, cybersecurity experts, and even legal personnel such as from Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit (DCU).  The facility is also designed to allow third-party partners to investigations, such as law enforcement, outside agencies, partners and customers to do this cybercrime work.

“A CSI kind of place”

David Finn, is an associate general counsel for Microsoft’s DCU who was a former federal prosecutor in New York City and now leads the DCU team:

“There are nearly 400 million victims of cybercrime each year. And cybercrime costs consumers $113 billion per year,” Finn says, pointing to a sign that outlines the impact of cybercrime. “We understand that there’s no one single country, business or organization that can tackle cyber security and cybercrime threats alone. That’s why we invest in bringing partners into our center – law enforcement agencies, partners and customers – into this center to work right alongside us.”

It’s a CSI kind of place, clearly equipped for its high-tech mission, but also airy and inviting with its modern glass, chrome, and wood. The Cybercrime Center is home to laboratories; offices and ultra-secure evidence rooms; and cutting-edge software and tools.

“It’s like a functional movie set,” ….. “But there is real-life cybercrime going on, and these are real-life labs to fight it in a cutting-edge way. This is not a TV show – we have important cases we’re working on right now, right on the other side of the window.”

Microsoft has stacked the team with hand-selected experts to take on this cybercriminal work, the crew has backgrounds from all kinds of disciplines:

The center is home to a team of hand-selected experts who were, in their pre-Microsoft lives, federal prosecutors, police officers, technical analysts, bankers, engineers and physicists. They now work to make the Internet a safer place.

Latest in cybercrime technology

The team has at their disposal a variety of systems and technology in their efforts to investigate cybercrime, from partnership developments to implementing their own tools, their arsenal includes big data, forensics, analytics and an interesting technology called PhotoDNA that is able to find copies of an image.  PhotoDNA is being used by companies like Facebook, Twitter, and other companies to find, report and eliminate pornographic child images.  Cybercrime investigations take them all around the world, and they have taken on drug dealers, thieves, counterfeiters, pirates, child exploiters, the Russian mafia and a Mexican drug cartel.

“The new Cybercrime Center is a real-life showcase for what Microsoft’s business intelligence and big data tools can do.”

Among the biggest issues in cybersecurity are malware and botnets.  Many people point their fingers at Microsoft for a lot of the security issues and vulnerabilities, but Microsoft has been very active on the security front.  Through regular updates and advisories, the company has built a narrative of vigilance as their operating systems and software are obvious targets when you consider the incredible volume of clients that are out there.  Over the years they have built in malicious software removal updates, malware detection and even antivirus products for free.  This effort to build a collaborative center puts technology out there in the cause of something further, and that is actually going out after cybercriminal activity.  It means going after the botnets, it means going after the authors of malware, phishing scams, financial fraud and the list goes on.  With one of the most influential software companies ever on the hunt with such a significant effort, the community will surely be hearing more about the developments, research and discoveries put forward in this endeavor.  It will be a welcome development in many circles, especially as the company helps law enforcement agencies and companies worldwide.