Microsoft announced on Wednesday it was launching a new European Security Program that would involve the company providing free “AI-based” threat intelligence to European governments amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between the continent and the United States.
The move mirrors what Microsoft already offers to the United States government. The announcement stresses the AI features of its tools “to protect traditional cybersecurity needs” although the company did not provide any details about these features.
At a launch event in Berlin the company stressed the value it aims to provide as it faces challenges both in Europe and the U.S. over what critics claim are cybersecurity shortcomings that have enabled hostile actors to compromise its customers’ networks.
The new security program will be available across the European Union as well as to states in the process of joining the EU. Members of the European Free Trade Association (including non-EU states such as Switzerland and Norway) as well as the United Kingdom, Monaco and the Vatican, will also be able to participate.
It comes amid geopolitical tensions between the EU and the United States that have prompted company President Brad Smith to pledge to take legal action to resist any legal orders by the U.S. government demanding Microsoft suspend or cease its cloud operations in Europe. The threat of such an order has been stressed by competitors as part of ongoing antitrust probes in the bloc.
The European Security Program was pitched as “a proactive investment in Europe’s digital sovereignty and security” by Microsoft and will see the company donate resources to several European initiatives, including embedding experts at Europol’s cybercrime centre; supporting NGOs with their cybersecurity; and investing in the British government’s darling Laboratory for AI Security Research.
Microsoft said it would also be providing “prioritized notice of security communications, including vulnerability remediation guidance.” The company explained this does not mean communications being sent to governments before anyone else, but specific guidance where government agencies are unaware of or don’t understand how to use the company’s communications.
Smith told journalists: “We’ve worked with, I would say probably a majority of governments across the European Union, but not in as systemic or systematic a way as we will do now. I do think that to some degree is always a reflection of the size of the specific national security and cybersecurity agencies. Some governments have larger teams than others.”
Across the West, governments’ dependence on Microsoft 365 — and the licensing costs associated with some of the company’s security services and products — have been a magnet for criticism in recent years.
Last year Microsoft was accused of a “cascade of security failures” in the wake of incidents that allowed alleged Chinese government hackers to breach Microsoft systems used by several U.S. government departments and officials.
Cyber spies working for Russia’s foreign intelligence service were also able to access emails and data on individuals from the British government after compromising the email accounts of senior leaders at Microsoft.
The company also stressed the recent work of its Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) in assisting law enforcement agencies in a global takedown of the infrastructure of the Lumma malware — a powerful information-stealing tool used by cybercriminals to target dozens of industries.
Microsoft said a version of the AI technology used by its DCU and the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center would be made available to partners in the European Security Program.
The company said it “continues to observe persistent threat activity targeting European networks from nation state actors, with Russian and Chinese activity being particularly prolific in Europe.”
Other state actors, including Iran and North Korea, also continue to engage in malicious activity, while cybercriminals “continue to develop Ransomware-as-a-Service beyond nation-state threats.”
Smith wrote: “At Microsoft, our commitment to Europe is deep, enduring, and unwavering. We believe that Europe’s digital future is one of the most important opportunities of our time—and protecting that future is a responsibility we share.
“We will stand shoulder to shoulder with European governments, institutions, and communities to defend against threats, build capacity, and strengthen resilience. We are proud to be a trusted partner to Europe, and we will continue to work every day to earn trust through transparency, collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to protecting what matters most.”
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