Microsoft Launches Pilot Program To Provide Cybersecurity Protection To Political Campaigns and Election Authorities (bleepingcomputer.com) 42
An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft has launched a pilot program aimed at providing cybersecurity protection for political campaigns and election authorities. The pilot program -- named AccountGuard -- was launched at the end of July, Bleeping Computer has learned, and was set in motion for the 2018 US midterm elections. According to the pilot's website, AccountGuard "provides additional security and threat monitoring for Microsoft accounts belonging to participating US campaigns, political committees, campaign tech vendors, and their staff, who are likely to be at a higher risk in the lead up to elections."
Microsoft is now running a website where participants in the 2018 US midterm elections can sign up for this increased protection. According to the portal, participation is offered on a non-partisan basis and is by invitation only. Users from the following organizations are eligible to participate: (1) US-based political campaigns (2) US-based political committees (3) Select campaign technology vendors (4) Select individuals may also participate, if invited by eligible campaigns and affiliated organizations Last month, Microsoft said they had detected and helped block hacking attempts -- the first known example of cyber interference in the midterm elections -- against three congressional candidates this year. On Tuesday, Facebook said it was blocking more than two dozen pages that it believed were part of an ongoing political influence campaign.
Microsoft is now running a website where participants in the 2018 US midterm elections can sign up for this increased protection. According to the portal, participation is offered on a non-partisan basis and is by invitation only. Users from the following organizations are eligible to participate: (1) US-based political campaigns (2) US-based political committees (3) Select campaign technology vendors (4) Select individuals may also participate, if invited by eligible campaigns and affiliated organizations Last month, Microsoft said they had detected and helped block hacking attempts -- the first known example of cyber interference in the midterm elections -- against three congressional candidates this year. On Tuesday, Facebook said it was blocking more than two dozen pages that it believed were part of an ongoing political influence campaign.
Press Release! (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft enters the lucrative Protection Racket Business!
Re: Press Release! (Score:2)
Forst WTF psot (Score:2)
What? Is there another Microsoft?
Trust issues (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Or you know (Score:2)
Then again, it would prolly cut down on ad revenue.
FUD (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
No security is fixing that. They will just build a dumber user.
Re: (Score:2)
Politics IS influence. Good luck getting the politics out of politics.
Yup.. One man's "interference" is another's "campaign" and one man's "News" is another's "propaganda". All part of the game.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't hold your breath. I'm not sure it is possible to say the words Microsoft and security in the same sentence. Actually that sounds like a punch line to a geek joke.
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"the words Microsoft and security in the same sentence."
It's possible, I just did it.
"the words Microsoft and security in the same sentence."
I don't get the joke.
Re: (Score:2)
So does this mean that Microsoft is deploying Linux or OpenBSD and using best security practices?
IFF that increases long-term profits, yes.
Actually that is the answer to all questions about Microsoft policies.
Re: (Score:2)
This has to be a joke... checks date... nope not April 1st....
Microsoft has demonstrated repeatedly that they do not have a clue how to do security, and its very much an after thought, after its been compromised.
Be fair please. M$'s security issues mostly stem from legacy design and support issues, not from original design. The need for security wasn't foreseen when legacy implementations where conceived for much of their environment.
Now if you want to argue that M$ should have foreseen and designed their original implementations to avoid security problems, you might have a minor point, but M$, like any other company of the day, was running under the same constraints that software developers have today, limited
Any attention to security would be an improvement (Score:3)
When you are at the very lowest point possible, any move upward - no matter how small - must be a sign of hope.
At present, as for the past 50 years, most political (and military) organizations are not only hopeless at security - they don't even seem to pay it any attention at all.
It's so much easier (and politically profitable) to take no action and then, when your computers are inevitably infiltrated, blame the scapegoat du jour. That way:
1. You save a lot of money and trouble by not bothering with security;
2. You cleverly get out from under;
3. You contrive to harm your political opponents by blaming them for what was entirely your own fault.
Re: (Score:2)
So where are your citations, if they are so vital?
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All votes will be tallied on the blockchain!
It looks like your (Score:2)
Would you like help
It looks like you're not winning the election
Would you like help with a reason why?
Fail (Score:2)
It looks like you're confusing the subject of your comment with the beginning your actual comment. Would you like some help?
Yet another slashvertisment for MICROS~1 (Score:3)
Haaa
Microsoft launches public relations excercise to distract from own crapware.
Microsoft are the Disney of the IT sector, they're everywhere and produce medicore product.
In mother Russia.... (Score:2)
Software vendors are protected from your politics!
Or is it they are "protecting" you from politics???
Who watches the watchers? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Ha! (Score:2)
The thought of Microsoft and Security being used in the same sentence is laughable.
Meanwhile, user accounts in Windows are still created with Admin rights...BY DEFAULT. And the Windows Registry continues to be a minefield for malware and rootkits. Yeah...give me a call when you get that mess straightened out. Until then, Microsoft will be the last company I would be getting security advice from.