Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit

Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit

Building 92 at Microsoft Corporation headquarters in Redmond, Washington
Abbreviation	DCU
Purpose	An international legal and technical team of attorneys, investigators, and forensic analysts, with expertise across the areas of malware, botnets, IP crimes, and technology-facilitated child exploitation
Headquarters	Microsoft Redmond Campus
Location	Redmond, Washington, United States
Coordinates	47°38′23″N 122°7′42″W / 47.63972°N 122.12833°W / 47.63972; -122.12833
Region served	Worldwide
Parent organization	Microsoft

The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is a Microsoft sponsored team of international legal and internet security experts employing the latest tools and technologies to stop or interfere with cybercrime and cyber threats. The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit was assembled in 2008. In 2013, a Cybercrime center for the DCU was opened in Redmond, Washington.^[1] There are about 100 members of the DCU stationed just in Redmond, Washington at the original Cybercrime Center. Members of the DCU include lawyers, data scientists, investigators, forensic analysts, and engineers.^[1] The DCU has international offices located in major cities such as: Beijing, Berlin, Bogota, Delhi, Dublin, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Washington, D.C.^[2] The DCU's main focuses are child protection, copyright infringement and malware crimes.^[1][2] The DCU must work closely with law enforcement to ensure the perpetrators are punished to the full extent of the law. The DCU has taken down many major botnets such as the Citadel, Rustock, and Zeus. Around the world malware has cost users about $113 billion and the DCU's jobs is to shut them down in accordance with the law.^[1]