Malware

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.