Microsoft Corporation, battered for its role in several major hacks, said it’s revamping the way it provides cybersecurity protection, using artificial intelligence and other methods to speed the company’s response to vulnerabilities and better protect customers.
In a blog post, three Microsoft executives said they “have put significant thought into how we should anticipate and adapt to the increasingly more sophisticated cyberthreats.” The result is a commitment to three areas of engineering advancement: “transforming” software development, implementing new identity protections and driving faster vulnerability response, they wrote.
“In recent months, we’ve concluded within Microsoft that the increasing speed, scale, and sophistication of cyberattacks call for a new response.This new initiative will bring together every part of Microsoft to advance cybersecurity protection,” Brad Smith, president, explained.
While Microsoft is primarily known for its software products for corporations and consumers, the Redmond, Washington-based company has emerged as the biggest provider of cybersecurity products in recent years, a business that has grown to about $20 billion a year. At the same time, Microsoft remains a frequent target of critics, who complain that its software is prone to flaws, making it a frequent target for criminal and nation-state hackers.
