Episode 266 – Disrupting Dangerous Malware – Microsoft’s legal action to disrupt Trickbot

Interview with Mary Jo Schrade, Assistant General Counsel and Regional Lead for Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) Asia.

Disrupting one of the world’s most dangerous malware – Trickbot

Mary Jo Schrade is an Assistant General Counsel and Regional Lead for Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) Asia and is based at Microsoft’s Cyber Security Center in Singapore. She oversees the initiatives, programs and strategies related to Microsoft Asia’s efforts to prevent or disrupt organized cybercrime and online tech support scams through public-private partnerships, coordinated enforcement, and customer engagements relating to cyber security and Microsoft’s digital trust commitment to its customers.

In this podcast, Mary Jo gave highlights of Microsoft’s legal action in October 2020 to disrupt Trickbot, one of the world’s most pervasive malware families which was behind attacks launched by ransomware groups such as Ryuk.

Representing one of the rare cases where the disruption was coordinated by private sector organisations, this involved extensive partnerships around the world with other organisations, including FS-ISAC (financial services information sharing and analysis center), ISPs, and other cybersecurity companies.

She also shared some of the key factors and decisions behind the legal strategy, and learning lessons for cyber defenders. For smaller and medium sized organisations in Asia, she stressed that the effectiveness of protective measures, such as multi-factor authentication, cannot be underestimated.

Recorded 28^th May 2021, Singapore 9am.