PLDT Inc. and Microsoft entered into a strategic partnership to work together through Microsoft’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Program (CTIP), a move that aims to strengthen the country’s digital borders and infrastructure security against cyber threats.

Microsoft’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Program is driven by its Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), an international team of technical, legal, and business experts created in 2008 to combat cybercrime on a global scale. Its expertise and unique view into online criminal networks uncover evidence used as criminal referrals to law enforcement agencies throughout the world.

Created in 2013, CTIP collects and distributes actionable cyber intelligence, including that derived from the Microsoft DCU’s botnet takedown operations to Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Critical Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). CTIP data is also engineered into specific Microsoft products and services to help customers identify threats in their computing environments.

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“Microsoft’s DCU values our threat intelligence-sharing partnerships, and we look forward to seeing how the Microsoft CTIP intelligence helps PLDT to protect the citizens of the Philippines,” said Mary Jo Schrade, assistant general counsel and regional Lead, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit Asia.

Azure-based

With this strategic partnership, PLDT will gain access to Microsoft DCU’s Azure-based cyber threat intelligence in real-time, providing information about the impact in the Philippines from the malware families DCU has disrupted in the past. This intelligence will provide better insights into criminal cyber infrastructure located within their jurisdiction. PLDT, in turn, with its network domain knowledge, can help in the two-way sharing of intelligence to identify compromised infrastructure and alert impacted entities in the country to potential cybercrime threats.

The partnership with Microsoft is expected to help fortify PLDT’s existing and robust cybersecurity capabilities in preventing and mitigating cyber threats and attacks.

Every day, Microsoft analyzes over 6.5 trillion signals to identify emerging threats to protect customers and in response to the increasing cyber threats in the Philippines and globally, Microsoft will invest $20 billion over the next five years to accelerate efforts to integrate cyber security by design and to deliver advanced security solutions.