Microsoft unveils Cybercrime center

REDMOND, USA: Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced the opening of the Microsoft Cybercrime Center, a center of excellence for advancing the global fight against cybercrime.

The Cybercrime Center combines Microsoft's legal and technical expertise as well as cutting-edge tools and technology with cross-industry expertise, marking a new era in effectively fighting crime on the Internet.

Each year, cybercrime takes a personal and financial toll on millions of consumers around the globe. The Cybercrime Center will tackle online crimes, including those associated with malware, botnets, intellectual property theft and technology-facilitated child exploitation.

David Finn, associate general counsel of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, said, "The Microsoft Cybercrime Center is where our experts come together with customers and partners to focus on one thing: keeping people safe online."

"By combining sophisticated tools and technology with the right skills and new perspectives, we can make the Internet safer for everyone," added Finn.

According to Microsoft, the secured facility houses Microsoft technologies that allow the team to visualize and identify global cyberthreats developing in real time, including SitePrint, PhotoDNA, cyberforensics, and cyberthreat intelligence from Microsoft's botnet takedown operations.

"In the fight against cybercrime the public sector significantly benefits from private sector expertise, such as provided by Microsoft," said Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation. "The security community needs to build on its coordinated responses to keep pace with today's cybercriminals. The Microsoft Cybercrime Center will be an important hub in accomplishing that task more effectively and proactively."