Cyber security message getting through - Microsoft

Michael Brick, legal counsel at Microsoft New Zealand. Photo / Greg Bowker.

Businesses and individuals are increasingly aware of the risk of cyber threats and are looking for ways to protect themselves in the event of a cyber attack, Microsoft's expert on cybersecurity in New Zealand says.

Experts in cybersecurity and digital crime fighting in Asia and Pacific will explain the global landscape of cyber threats tomorrow at a Microsoft conference in Singapore.

Legal counsel for Microsoft New Zealand, Michael Brick, said businesses in New Zealand were beginning to take action to ready themselves for a cyber threat event.

Brick said over the last three years he had seen "a lot of talk, but no real action," but the model for cybersecurity was changing.

"But, even in the last six months I feel like people have gone from just talking about it and being aware of it, to switching into action mode.

"From big corporates to small-to-medium businesses, people are looking at ways to be more proactive, to engage, and to be certain everyone is aware of it."

Brick said he was aware of numerous boards and directors in New Zealand that were making it a priority to ensure their IT teams were on top of all aspects of cybersecurity.

The Microsoft Cyber Security Experience will give detail of a global survey of where cyber threats have occurred and how frequently.

But, even in the last six months I feel like people have gone from just talking about it and being aware of it, to switching into action mode.

Michael Brick

The Malware Infection Index shows the concentration of malware around the world.
Brick said Microsoft was able to obtain injunctions in the United States and Europe to take control of botnets, the technology used by cyber criminals to distribute malware, and trace infected computers.

Microsoft collected the data of the infected computers to create the index.

"Basically anyone can run an IP address scan against this database of infected computers to see where concentrations of malware are," Brick said.

"People will not use technology they do not trust. That's one golden rule that applies to organisations and individuals alike in today's mobile-first, cloud-first world," Microsoft says in a statement about the event.

Speakers at the event from outside Microsoft include experts from Interpol and the Economic Intelligence Unit.

- Sophie Ryan is in Singapore for the Microsoft Cyber Security Experience courtesy of Microsoft