Microsoft's Brad Smith Urges Trump Government to Tackle Growing Cyber Threats

Microsoft Corp’s MSFT President, Brad Smith, has urged the U.S. government to strengthen its stance against cyber threats from foreign adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Smith highlighted the increasing severity of state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting American institutions and election systems.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Smith emphasized that cybersecurity must become a core focus of international relations, particularly for the incoming Donald Trump administration.

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He stated, “I hope that the Trump administration will push harder against nation-state cyber attacks,” citing the alarming frequency of attacks as unacceptable.

Ransomware attacks and espionage campaigns have surged, with some actors allegedly operating with tacit approval from their governments.

Recent accusations by U.S. authorities claim that Chinese entities infiltrated American telecom networks ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile, Smith criticized Russian tolerance of criminal cyber gangs, noting their increasing collaboration with nation-state groups.

As outlined in a company study, Microsoft faces over 600 million cyberattacks daily. While CEO Satya Nadella has prioritized improving security, Microsoft has faced scrutiny.

Earlier this year, a U.S. Cyber Safety Review Board report criticized the company’s security failures, which allowed Chinese hackers to breach critical email systems.

Smith acknowledged progress under the Biden administration but underscored the need for additional measures to deter foreign cyber aggressors.

He also urged policymakers to streamline export processes for U.S. digital technologies, warning that delays could allow Chinese technology to dominate regions like Africa and the Middle East.

These concerns align with efforts to restrict the export of sensitive technologies, such as AI chips, to adversaries.

In September, Microsoft hosted a cybersecurity summit following a widespread IT outage caused by a faulty software update.

The outage, which affected 8.5 million Windows devices on July 19, stemmed from a CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc CRWD- provided an update disrupting industries globally. Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters summit included government representatives to address cybersecurity challenges and solutions.

The incident highlighted the risks of single-vendor reliance, prompting Microsoft to evaluate restricting third-party security application access to improve system resilience.

Price Action: MSFT stock closed lower by 0.05% at $412.65 premarket at the last check on Friday.

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