Microsoft

has reportedly launched a new cybersecurity programme aimed at helping European governments combat growing cyber threats. According to a Reuters report, the software giant is offering the programme for free and is aimed at threats especially those powered by artificial intelligence. The programme comes in response to a surge in cyberattacks across Europe, many of which have been linked to state-sponsored actors from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. It will focus on sharing intelligence around AI-based threats and helping institutions prevent and disrupt attacks.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company intends to bring its successful U.S. cybersecurity tools to Europe. "If we can bring more to Europe of what we have developed in the United States, that will strengthen cybersecurity protection for more European institutions," Smith told Reuters in an interview."You're going to see other things we are doing later in the month," he added.

As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, threat actors are increasingly using generative AI to increase the scale and effectiveness of their operations, ranging from attacks on critical infrastructure to the spread of disinformation.Despite the growing threat, Smith emphasized that AI also offers strong defensive capabilities."We don't feel that we have seen AI that has evaded our ability to detect the use of AI or the threats more broadly," he said."Our goal needs to be to keep AI advancing as a defensive tool faster than it advances as an offensive weapon," he added.

Microsoft said it tracks any misuse of the AI models it releases and blocks access to its AI tools for known cybercriminals.In recent years, AI-generated deepfakes have emerged as a major concern. In 2022, a deepfake video showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy falsely appearing to surrender to Russia. In 2023, a fake audio recording influenced Slovakia's national elections.Smith noted that while both video and audio are vulnerable, "so far audio had been easier to fake than video."