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Collective Defense

As cyberthreats evolve, trusted relationships and collaboration improve collective knowledge, drive resilience, and mitigate risks across the security ecosystem on a global scale.

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Empowering a secure future through innovation and collaboration

Discover how partnerships are driving collective defense and creating a safer, more secure world through our collection of case studies and stories. From innovative technologies to collaborative strategies, these examples demonstrate the power of working together towards a common goal. 

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Cybercrime Atlas: Revolutionizing global cybercrime intelligence and collaboration

There is a vast amount of cybercrime intelligence and data available, but the fragmented cybersecurity landscape means we are not making the most of it. That is all about to change as the Cybercrime Atlas leverages open-source intelligence and a global collaboration to shape action, policy, and regulation.

Collective intelligence and collaborative defense against Volt Typhoon

Collaboration between the cybersecurity industry and government research organizations is crucial to understand and overcome common adversaries. We have developed a community of strategic partnerships with threat intelligence organizations to defend against common adversaries, such as Volt Typhoon.

Uniting to disrupt cybercriminal operations: A success story of collaboration and disruption

A ground-breaking lawsuit aimed at ending the illicit use of Cobalt Strike shows the power of uniting efforts to identify and take down criminal infrastructure. At the start of the operation, we were tracking approximately 1,000 active cracked Cobalt Strike servers per day. As of July 2023, there was a 25 percent reduction globally and a 50 percent reduction in the United States of these servers.

Infographic image highlighting the key report insights

Source: Microsoft Digital Threat Analysis Center investigations

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Combining efforts to safeguard democracy

Over 75 percent of eligible citizens living in democratic nations within the next year and a half will have the opportunity to vote. Safeguarding the cyber election space, engaging voters, and teaming up with nonprofits to secure election management systems are crucial to protect the integrity and resilience of democratic processes around the world.

Addressing the shortage in digital talent and diversity

The scarcity of skilled cybersecurity professionals and the need for AI skills is a pressing concern for safeguarding critical public and private infrastructure. Strategic partnerships with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, governments, and businesses are needed to develop cybersecurity and AI skills programs that address market needs.

Of the 78% of devices that are vulnerable, 46% have CVEs that cannot be patched, and 32% could be patched. Of the 22% that are not vulnerable, 15% are devices with no CVEs, and 7% are devices that have been patched by customers.

Source: Microsoft Digital Threat Analysis Center investigations

Gender disparity by country

25% female workforce

The lack of diversity within the global cybersecurity workforce exacerbates the challenge, with women comprising only 25 percent of the workforce.

28 countries

To tackle the talent shortage and promote diversity, Microsoft has expanded its cybersecurity skills initiative to 28 countries, with a special focus on empowering women.

400,000 individuals

In collaboration with over 20 nonprofit organizations, we have already trained over 400,000 individuals worldwide, leveraging platforms like Microsoft Learn and LinkedIn Learning.

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Cyber Peace Institute

Humanitarian organizations play an essential role in aiding those who need help the most, with extremely limited resources that often do not stretch to cybersecurity. We are proud to be working with the CyberPeace Institute to empower and protect nonprofits around the world.

Explore other Microsoft Digital Defense Report chapters

Introduction

The power of partnerships is key to overcoming adversity by strengthening defenses and holding cybercriminals accountable.

The State of Cybercrime

While cybercriminals remain hard at work, the public and private sectors are coming together to disrupt their technologies and support the victims of cybercrime.

Nation State Threats

Nation state cyber operations are bringing governments and tech industry players together to build resilience against threats to online security.

Critical Cybersecurity Challenges

As we navigate the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape, holistic defense is a must for resilient organizations, supply chains, and infrastructure.

Innovating for Security and Resilience

As modern AI takes a massive leap forward, it will play a vital role in defending and ensuring the resilience of businesses and society.

Collective Defense

As cyberthreats evolve, collaboration is strengthening knowledge and mitigation across the global security ecosystem.

More on security

Our commitment to earn trust

Microsoft is committed to the responsible use of AI, protecting privacy, and advancing digital safety and cybersecurity.

Cyber Signals

A quarterly cyberthreat intelligence brief informed by the latest Microsoft threat data and research. Cyber Signals gives trends analysis and guidance to help strengthen the first line of defense.

Nation State Reports

Semi-annual reports on specific nation state actors that serve to warn our customers and the global community of threats posed by influence operations and cyber activity, identifying specific sectors and regions at heightened risk.

Microsoft Digital Defense Reports archive

Explore previous Microsoft Digital Defense Reports and see how the threat landscape and online safety has changed in a few short years.

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