Fixed Mobile Convergence

The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group will now go under the name of M3AAWG, where M3 is the abbreviated version of Messaging, Malware and Mobile. The hazardous association between malware, spam, and exploitation on promising mobile platforms will be addressed by reinforcing the internal structure of M3AAWG’s.

Spam is responsible for the distribution of viruses and malicious code, however malware and messaging security professionals have not been able to work together to put an end to this threat. 

M3AAWG has been urging the industry to provide improved protection to end users by shifting beyond this "silo" attitude.

Michael O'Reirdan, Chairman, M3AAWG said, "A quick online search produces more than 14 million links to references connecting messaging and malware, but in reality abuse professionals in these fields usually work autonomously. This isolation keeps companies in the dark and bestows a 'divide and conquer' advantage to the cybercriminals. M3 is the path forward because cooperative efforts among all these experts -- messaging abuse, malware and mobile security professionals -- is the only way to win this war."

M3’ working committees will be aided by specialists to recognize and offer solutions for main issues as part of these structural changes. The 24^th General Meeting of M3AAWG will be held in San Francisco on Feb. 20-23. Discussions regarding the effect of mobile platform mistreatment on senders, along with smartphone threats will be included in the meeting. The meeting will also highlight the existing malware developments and information on the malware money.

O'Reirdan said, "The move to M3 is a wake-up call to the industry. We are extending our hands across the aisle to our colleagues in the malware and mobile fields. The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group is known as a place where the divergent needs and views of the global industry can come together to realize effective, real-world solutions to operational, technical and public policy questions."