The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG)’s 63rd General Meeting is right around the corner, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from February 17 to 20, 2025. It will feature a rich slate of sessions, events, and educational opportunities aimed at strengthening our combined efforts to stop online abuse. For those looking to set their meeting itinerary, this insider’s preview should provide a strong roadmap:

Keynote Address Covers “Worldwide State of Scams”

Coming on the heels of Dr. Douglas Stebila’s compelling keynote address at our 63nd General Meeting in Toronto on quantum computing threats, Jorij Abraham will deliver our keynote in Lisbon on an equally time-sensitive issue of vital importance. Abraham is the Managing Director at Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and will provide an in-depth look at the worldwide state of scams on Wednesday, February 19th. Abraham’s talk will cover:

• How online fraud became the most reported type of crime in most countries with $1 trillion lost in scams.
• Why scams have become such a safe and lucrative business for bad actors.
• Guidance on how we can fight scams more effectively and efficiently.

“Jorij is someone we have had on our radar as a speaker as the explosion of scams continues to infiltrate users worldwide. The bar has been set high for keynotes at our meetings, and Jorij has the insights and energy to keep everyone thinking and talking about these pervasive threats long after this event takes place. We look forward to it,” said M3AAWG Executive Director Amy Cadagin.

Key Sessions for Attendees to Know About

There are plenty of thought-provoking sessions on the way in Lisbon, and here is a look at three key sessions we encourage you to keep an eye on:

Enhancing Email Spam Detection with LLMs 

This talk, presented by Vsevolod Stakhov of Rspamd, will cover the practical implementation of Large Language Models (LLMs) in email filtering. Vsevolod will discuss how LLMs can complement traditional filtering methods, comparing supervised (Bayesian) and unsupervised (LLM-based) approaches to spam detection while analyzing real-world results from different models (GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and alternatives via OpenRouter).

Regulation in the EU and Beyond, and What It Means for You

The EU’s rapid expansion of digital regulations is reshaping the global tech and cybersecurity landscape. From the EU AI Act to GDPR, NIS2, the Digital Services Act, and cross-border data flows & Schrems rulings, these evolving frameworks bring new compliance challenges and operational shifts for businesses, service providers, and security professionals. 

Join our expert panel discussion to gain insights into the latest regulatory developments, their impact on digital security and online abuse mitigation from a global perspective, and what they mean for governance, risk, compliance (GRC), legal frameworks, and operations.

Inside the Cold Emailing (Spam!) Ecosystem 

In this session, Carel Bitter, Co-Chair of the Names and Numbers & Academic and Research Committees, will explore:

• What exactly is cold emailing, with examples.
• A technical breakdown of how these emails work, including deceptive tactics like bypassing rate limits, using new domains, and more.
• The types of organizations enabling this behavior and their role in perpetuating it.
• The critical challenges posed by this growing phenomenon.

Hunting for Phishing URLs, Kits and Business

This session will focus on phishing attacks and what the cybercrime-fighting community can do to combat them. Thomas Damonneville, CEO of StalkPhish, will share his open-source work that can aid in the hunt for phishing sites and discuss the phishing kits used by bad actors. He will detail the techniques used in these kits to prevent automatic detection while targeting specific populations or regions.

Working Sessions on Timely Issues and Topics

As attendees of past General Meetings can attest, the hands-on, practical learning and collaboration that take place are trademarks of our general meetings. Once again, we anticipate our working sessions to be can’t-miss opportunities for gathering practical tools to fight abuse. Open Round Tables, Lightning Talks, and Much More

This meeting will also include M3AAWG attendees' favorites, such as our Open Round Tables (ORTs), Lightning Talks, and the always exciting M3AAWG Night Out. We look forward to enhancing our fight against online abuse thanks to the many sessions presented by M3AAWG members and Guest Speakers.