Mobile

Keynote to Examine Threats, Including Spyware, That Threaten Digital Communications

San Francisco, Sept. 23 – The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) will host its 53rd general meeting October 11-14 virtually. Members from internet service and email providers, networking and communications companies, security vendors and social networking companies will exchange updates, ideas and efforts to improve cybersecurity, reduce online abuse and protect user data and privacy online.

Ron Deibert, professor of political science and director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, will deliver a keynote address October 12. He will discuss the work of the lab including networking infrastructure, media and disinformation and espionage efforts targeting journalists, researchers and activists worldwide. The lab has been active in exposing spyware, including the Pegasus product, to surveil these groups.

“M3AAWG and its members have done highly useful and beneficial work to identify and mitigate online abuse, consistent with the work we are doing here at the Citizen Lab,” noted Deibert. “We welcome the opportunity to share what we are doing and collaborate with attendees on further inroads to protect the digital interactions so critical to our personal, professional and civil discourse.”

M3AAWG also will honor a member of industry with its coveted J.D. Falk Award recognizing a particularly meritorious project undertaken by a dedicated individual or group reflecting the spirit of volunteerism and community building.

Meeting sessions will give attendees updates and opportunities to learn about Magecart and Java injection attacks, preventing criminal use of multifactor authentication, dealing with trauma in anti-abuse work, preventing spam in mail and apps, and using AI in cloud DDOS protection. Other sessions will tackle the recent U.S. cybersecurity order, privacy and tracking, and dealing with industries that are abusive online.

A number of working group and committee sessions also will be held for M3AAWG members.

More information about the 53rd general meeting can be found at /upcoming-meetings and Twitter (@M3AAWG), LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. Session updates and more info also will be posted on the blog.

About the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG)

The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) is where the industry comes together to work against bots, malware, spam, viruses, denial-of-service attacks and other online exploitation. M3AAWG (www.m3aawg.org) members represent more than one billion mailboxes from some of the largest network operators worldwide. It leverages the depth and experience of its global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and new emerging services through technology, collaboration, and public policy. It also works to educate global policy makers on the technical and operational issues related to online abuse and messaging. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., M3AAWG is driven by market needs and supported by major network operators and messaging providers.

Contact:                    
Anne Price
anne@M3AAWG.org
602-330-6495

The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group, the largest global industry association working against botnets, malware, spam, viruses, DoS attacks, and other online exploitation, will meet virtually October 12-15; Election security tops agenda

SAN FRANCISCO––October 6, 2020 –– The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) will host its 50th General Meeting from October 12-15, 2020 in a virtual event that gathers representatives from over 200 member companies, including AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Twitter, Google, and Microsoft, to discuss the latest developments in online privacy and security and develop collaborative approaches to combat online abuse.

M3AAWG’s 50th General Meeting will bring together leaders from internet service providers, telecom companies, email service providers, social networking companies, leading hardware and software vendors, and more to discuss collective best practices for fighting many of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges. Sessions explore topics such as the latest in 5G, stalkerware, artificial intelligence, robodiallers, abuse operations & GDPR, and much more. 

“Over the past 16 years, M3AAWG has grown exponentially and continues to foster collaboration to combat new forms of abuse,” said Amy Cadagin, Executive Director of M3AAWG. “Although we may not be able to meet in-person, it’s still vital to continue our ongoing dialogue and work together to address the most prominent issues facing the industry today. As evolving online scams and cyberattacks related to COVID-19 continues to leave organizations and individuals vulnerable, M3AAWG’s work is more important than ever before.” 

“Today, M3AAWG serves as the blueprint for collaboration amongst cybersecurity experts. No matter the protocol or attack vectors, engineers and analysts can always benefit from our existing work and our model of operation,” said Severin Walker, M3AAWG Chairman “From the first official meeting to now having over 265 member organizations across the globe, M3AAWG’s mission to build a safer online ecosystem through collaboration has played a critical role in shaping today’s online experiences. As we look towards the future, the protection of professional, social, and educational platforms that have become integral to life around the globe will be a central focus of our work.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Barbara Simons, Ph.D., Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. A leading voice on technology policy for more than 40 years, Simons is also the board chair of Verified Voting, co-author of Broken Ballots: Will Your Vote Count?, and has co-authored numerous reports and studies on how to improve our voting systems. The keynote will explore the status of the upcoming election, voting security, post-election ballot audits, and more. 

M3AAWG’s 50th General Meeting will take place via live video conference from October 12-15, 2020. For more information, please visit www.m3aawg.org or follow M3AAWG on Twitter @M3AAWG. You can also learn more about M3AAWG’s founding story and growth by visiting the M3AAWG blog at www.m3aawg.org/blog. 

About the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG)

The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) is where the industry comes together to work against bots, malware, spam, viruses, denial-of-service attacks and other online exploitation. M3AAWG (www.m3aawg.org) members represent more than one billion mailboxes from some of the largest network operators worldwide. It leverages the depth and experience of its global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and new emerging services through technology, collaboration, and public policy. It also works to educate global policy makers on the technical and operational issues related to online abuse and messaging. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., M3AAWG is driven by market needs and supported by major network operators and messaging providers.