Tech Giant to Invest in Cybersecurity

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Tech giant Microsoft will invest $20 billion over the next 5 years in cybersecurity, four times its previous investments of $1 billion per year to protect its services.

The company operates some of the world’s most used software, making it a prime target for cyberattacks. After all, cybercriminals and nation-states want to hit the largest number of victims possible when they launch their attacks.

In addition to its $20 billion investment, Microsoft will offer $150 million in technical services to federal, state, and local governments to upgrade their security capabilities. The company says it will also expand its partnerships with community colleges and non-profits for cybersecurity training programs.

Microsoft’s announcement follows a summit meeting of some of the tech industry’s most prominent CEOs and the Biden administration, during which the group discussed possible public-private partnerships to help address ongoing cybersecurity threats to the country’s critical infrastructure and private industries.  

In April, the ransomware gang REvil attacked the Colonial Pipeline, forcing the company to shut down its pipeline that provides nearly half of the fuel capacity to the East Coast. A few months earlier, in December 2020, Russian hackers attacked government computer systems, gaining access to the Treasury Department and Department of Defense, as reported by yahoo.com.