Cyber crimes happen daily, and everyday IT security companies track and record details around these attacks. Microsoft is upping its game and releasing a real-time threat feed so that its fellow partners can study current threats it finds and discover the best steps to proactively take against them.

With Microsoft’s success in tackling botnets, they’ve been able to amass a lot of data around the specific threats these botnets pose. By allowing the botnets to contaminate highly monitored environments, Microsoft had been able to isolate and remove the harmful bots and also discover how they work.

Microsoft is now able to gather threat information and share it with ISPs, government agencies, private companies, and CERTs. The result of such a move by Microsoft can be significant. Analysts point out that while a real-time threat feed won’t lower the quantity of attacks, it can help information security specialists respond to these threats faster. This could limit the level of damage brought on by these attacks.

Microsoft’s live threat feed could have an even more important impact: It could lead the information security industry to share more data. For too long, companies have hesitated to discuss important security information that they fear can result in a copycat attack. This is a mistaken belief as cyber criminals are already exchanging information amongst themselves. It’s a good idea, therefore, for security professionals to also share real-time information.

Microsoft’s real-time feed is an excellent first step toward a change for the better in IT security. Let’s hope this trend continues and that the IT security world will recognize that secrecy is not more important than sharing information!