Cybercrime

November 3, 2009 -- As part of a continuing effort to identify the latest cyber crime trends and warn the public, the FBI today released the following information:

Within the last several months, the FBI has seen a significant increase in fraud involving the exploitation of valid online banking credentials belonging to small and medium businesses, municipal governments, and school districts. In a typical scenario, the targeted entity receives a “spear phishing” e-mail which either contains an infected attachment, or directs the recipient to an infected website.    » read more »

Bill includes Mikulski provisions for greater accountability and congressional oversight and to strengthen cyber espionage and cyber-crime fighting capabilities

17-Sep-2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), today announced Senate passage of the fiscal year 2010 Intelligence Authorization bill. This critical legislation contains key provisions supported by Senator Mikulski that enhance oversight and accountability of our nation’s intelligence community.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today appointments for two key cybersecurity posts at the Department—Greg Schaffer as Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C); and Bruce McConnell as Counselor to the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Deputy Under Secretary. In addition, Deputy Under Secretary for NPPD Philip Reitinger will also serve as Director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC)—a major step toward a cohesive DHS strategy on cyber efforts.    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- THE PRESIDENT: Everybody, please be seated. We meet today at a transformational moment -- a moment in history when our interconnected world presents us, at once, with great promise but also great peril.    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement today on the Obama Administration’s Cybersecurity Policy Review:

"We applaud President Obama for highlighting the extraordinarily serious issue of cybersecurity. No other President in American history has elevated this issue to that level and we thank him for his leadership.    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s decision to form a new White House Cyber Office:

“I commend President Obama’s decision to form a White House Cyber Office to better coordinate our private sector and government defenses against the complex and evolving attacks by hackers and cyber spies our nation faces each day. Cyber security has been of growing concern to me and my constituents since the devastating cyber attacks against Estonia two years ago.    » read more »

Financial Industry Accounts for 93 Percent of 285 Million Compromised Records; Most Breaches Avoidable if Proper Precautions Taken

April 15, 2009 -- BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - More electronic records were breached in 2008 than the previous four years combined, fueled by a targeting of the financial services industry and a strong involvement of organized crime, according to the "2009 Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report" (DBIR) released Wednesday (April 15).    » read more »

Approximately 100 Participants from 14 Countries Attending Second IP Crimes Enforcement Network Conference in Bangkok

March 11, 2009 -- BANGKOK, THAILAND – Building upon the successes of earlier efforts, the U.S. Department of Justice today announced the opening in Bangkok of a regional conference of approximately 100 key law enforcement and industry officials from more than a dozen nations with the goal of strengthening international cooperation in fighting large-scale intellectual property crimes.    » read more »

Melissa Hathaway Selected to Lead the Review

February 9, 2009 -- President Obama has directed the National Security and Homeland Security Advisors to conduct an immediate review of the plan, programs, and activities underway throughout the government dedicated to cyber security.

This 60-day interagency review will develop a strategic framework to ensure that U.S. Government cyber security initiatives are appropriately integrated, resourced and coordinated with Congress and the private sector.    » read more »

November 16, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Last night the U.S. Senate approved a bill to help the government protect Americans from online threats, updating the law to keep pace with the rapid technological advancement of recent years. The bill included provisions authored by former Judiciary Committee chairmen Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Delaware) to combat cyber crimes such as computer hacking, theft of confidential information, and spreading computer worms and viruses.    » read more »

November 14, 2007 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced legislation to protect personal information, promote data security and prevent cybercrime. The Privacy and Cybercrime Enforcement Act of 2007 strengthens penalties and prosecutions against cybercrime violations and encourages increased cyber security.    » read more »

Task force reaches landmark $1 million agreement announcing internet marketing reform

November 7, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today unveiled a sophisticated team to combat internet-related fraud and simultaneously announced the first agreement reached by the newly-created CyberFraud Task Force. The task force, which takes action against companies who defraud consumers online, is part of the Attorney General’s efforts to make the internet safer for Florida consumers.    » read more »

November 2, 2007 -- New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch, Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte, and Commissioner of Education Lyonel B. Tracy announce the delivery of over 105,000 copies of the “Internet Safety Guide” for Teens and Parents to public schools across New Hampshire in continuing with the Governor’s tough stance against sexual predators. These cybercrime prevention guides are being provided to middle and high school students in grades in grades 6 to 10.    » read more »

November 1, 2007 -- Washington, DC – The Senate Judiciary Committee today voted to advance key provisions of the Cyber Crime Act of 2007, legislation authored by Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Del.), both former chairmen of the committee, to boost the federal government’s ability to fight cyber crimes such as computer hacking, theft of confidential information, and spreading computer worms and viruses.    » read more »

November 1, 2007 -- New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch, Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte, and Commissioner of Education Lyonel B. Tracy announce the delivery of over 105,000 copies of the “Internet Safety Guide” for Teens and Parents to public schools across New Hampshire in continuing with the Governor’s tough stance against sexual predators.    » read more »