M3AAWG Tackles Emerging Security Issues With Industry Collaboration; Also Announces 2014 Leadership

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 22, 2014) - Tackling security concerns with hosting and cloud storage, pervasive monitoring, identity management, and telephony, the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group has announced the formation of four new collaborative special interest groups along with its organizational leadership for 2014. The new SIGs provide a trusted venue for industry participation on critical issues while M³AAWG continues to support the ongoing work in its core security tracts.

Protecting end-users has become increasingly complex, requiring broad industry cooperation across multiple disciplines. The new M³AAWG Hosting SIG is also working with the i2Coalition and other industry partners to develop best practices. The SIG will address issues with cloud storage security, identifying and removing illegitimate accounts, and protecting hosting servers against DDoS and other attacks. The new M³AAWG Pervasive Monitoring SIG was formed in response to members' concerns related to recent disclosures about extensive governmental monitoring of the Internet and how the consequent reaction by the technical community may impact, or even reduce, the ability to mitigate online abuse.

Earlier this year, the M³AAWG Voice and Telephony Abuse SIG hosted 90 technical experts, academic researchers, public policy advisors and representatives from government and law enforcement at a two-day workshop addressing robocalls and other voice abuse problems. A second VTA SIG workshop on June 18-19 in Montreal is also open to non-members, and European industry and government representatives will attend a briefing and cooperative data exchange at the M³AAWG 31^st General Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on June 9-12.

"Sharing timely information about attack vectors, vulnerabilities and proven security methods is crucial to protecting the Internet and providing end-users an accessible and safe online experience. The collaborative work that will come out of these new SIGs will help fix urgent security issues and will augment the ongoing projects in our other M³AAWG committees to define the latest anti-abuse techniques," said Chris Roosenraad, who is with Time Warner Cable and serving his third term as M³AAWG chairman.

2014 Leadership Look to Share Best Practices and Training

M³AAWG also announced the other 2014 Board officers serving with M³AAWG Chairman Roosenraad as M³AAWG co-vice chairmen Michael Adkins, Alex Bobotek of AT&T and Jerome Cudelou of Orange. Sam Silberman of Constant Contact is treasurer and Jerry Upton continues as M³AAWG executive director.