SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 01/30/13 -- With the variety of devices in use today and the pervasive connectivity available to users, malware could easily get the upper hand on many networks without corrective measures. The Feb. 19-21 M3AAWG 27th General Meeting in San Francisco will focus on helping the industry develop the necessary strategies to protect end-users from the latest messaging abuses, whatever the abuse vector or device that is targeted.

The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group meeting will offer six sessions focusing specifically on emerging mobile malware and security issues along with presentations on computer bot research, international cybersecurity efforts, social media issues and other topics. There will also be three tracks of security-related training on Feb. 18.

Recognizing the need for cross-industry cooperation within the messaging industry, M3AAWG works to foster an environment where experts from all areas of cybersecurity can share their experience and learn from each other. Sessions at the meeting will explore the challenge of protecting online advertising, present a DNS Changer Working Group study, offer practical spam trap tips, and provide an open dialogue between email service providers that send third party messages and ISPs, along with other topics. Among the mobile sessions, noted industry experts will discuss current Android viruses, abuse of mobile payment systems, and the evolution of mobile malware.

"The malware on an end-user's system might have been delivered through email, an SMS with a link to a drive-by website, a tainted mobile app or another vector. But however it got there, it can be dangerous and costly to the user, and it can have devastating and far-reaching effects on other networks and users. To effectively tackle malware, we need to share information, both across areas of expertise and across international borders," said Alex Bobotek, M3AAWG Co-Chairman.

AllThingsD.com Co-Executive Editor Kara Swisher will keynote the meeting, sharing her perspective on how the Internet has changed since she began covering technology for both The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and where she sees the industry going in the near future. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's International Freedom of Expression Coordinator Eva Galprin will also offer a keynote presentation on the status of Syrian malware.

Emphasizing the international aspect of fighting abuse, Dr. Victoria Baines, strategic advisor on cybercrime at the European Police Office (EUROPOL) in The Hague, will elaborate on Project 2020, a range of activities to enhance online security including common threat reporting, strategic foresight exercises, policy guidance and capacity building. In another session, a panel will discuss the state of spam and industry outreach efforts to share best practices in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

The Monday training sessions (https://www.maawg.org/activities/training) will cover machine learning, analysis of anti-abuse data, encryption, and an end-to-end process for sharing data within the security community. Speakers at the meeting will also address methods to defend against DDoS attacks, the social media spam marketplace, URL redirection and issues of online bullying, along with working sessions to develop best practices.

The San Francisco meeting is the only Silicon Valley event M3AAWG will host this year. Its European meeting will be in Vienna, Austria in June and its October East Coast meeting in Montreal, Canada.

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) represents 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.

M3AAWG Board of Directors: AT&T (NYSE: T); Cloudmark, Inc.; Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA); Constant Contact (NASDAQ: CTCT); Cox Communications; Damballa, Inc.; Eloqua; Facebook; France Telecom (NYSE and Euronext: FTE); Google; Message Bus; PayPal; Return Path; Symantec; Time Warner Cable; Verizon Communications; and Yahoo! Inc.

M3AAWG Full Members: 1&1 Internet AG; Adaptive Mobile Security LTD; Adobe Systems Inc.; AOL; BAE Systems Detica; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Dynamic Network Services Inc.; Email Sender and Provider Coalition; Genius; iContact; Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ NASDAQ: IIJI); Mailchimp; McAfee Inc.; Message Systems; Mimecast; Nominum, Inc.; Proofpoint; Scality; Spamhaus; Sprint; and Twitter.

A complete member list is available at http://www.m3aawg.org/about/roster.

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