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Justice Department orders prosecutors to more closely track ransomware, share case information

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Sean Lyngaas

The Justice Department has required federal prosecutors across the U.S. to more closely track ransomware cases and notify department officials of key developments in the prosecution of hackers. It’s a move that, in the wake of ransomware attacks on key U.S. distributors of fuel and meat, elevates the fight against ransomware as a top priority for the government’s law enforcement division. The goal is to have a clearer view of extortion attempts occurring in every state, and any progress that’s being made in tracking down the perpetrators. A memo that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco sent to U.S. Attorneys offices on Thursday requires the offices to notify senior department officials in Washington whenever they learn of a new ransomware attack in their district. Such “urgent reports,” for example, should cover ransomware incidents affecting critical infrastructure or a municipal government — something that happens regularly. “To ensure we can make necessary […]

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Justice Department faces different threat profile because of its investigative work, CISO says

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Sean Lyngaas

The Department of Justice faces a different combination of hacking threats from criminals and foreign governments than other U.S. federal organizations because of the department’s dual law enforcement and counterintelligence missions, the department’s top cybersecurity official said Tuesday. The “threat profile” facing the Justice Department stems from the sensitive case work department officials pursue against criminal hackers and foreign spies, according to Nickolous Ward, the department’s chief information security officer. “That’s where organized crime might be more interested in us, when we’re going after cybercrimes,” Ward told CyberScoop at the Security Transformation Summit presented by Fortinet and produced by FedScoop and StateScoop. “Or, from the counterintelligence aspect, if we’re looking at nation-states, they’re certainly interested in if we’re investigating them,” Ward added. In the last 18 months, the department has unsealed a number of hacking charges in federal court, whether for alleged state-sponsored cyber espionage or lone criminal activity. Last […]

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Why The FBI Investigated ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Players in the 1990s

Posted on June 21, 2017 by JPat Brown

An FBI memo written during the Unabomber investigation describes roleplayers as ‘armed and dangerous,’ ‘extremely intelligent individuals’ and ‘overweight and not neat in appearance.’ Continue reading Why The FBI Investigated ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Players in the 1990s→

Five Whys: Lessons From the World of Incident Investigations

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Christophe Veltsos

Cybersecurity is all about asking the right questions. The Five Whys method can help analysts prevent near misses from becoming full-blown incidents.

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How the FBI relies on dark web intel firms as frontline investigators

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Chris Bing

A cadre of former intelligence officers is lurking on the dark recesses of the internet on behalf of government and a shortlist of wealthy clients. U.S. law enforcement officials regularly rely on a complex network of relationships they’ve formed with a select group of private intelligence firms to monitor the vast, opaque expanses of the dark web, former FBI officials, company executives and defense contractors tell CyberScoop. Insiders say the relationships are especially distinct because the companies operate in a hazardous legal environment where they must constantly balance operational risks and client interests while maintaining law enforcement’s trust. “Generally, private sector companies want to help law enforcement catch bad guys, but they don’t want to be dragged into diverting time and other resources to assist in the prosecution process,” said Levi Gundert, vice president of intelligence and strategy for threat-intel firm Recorded Future. “The business needs to focus on serving customers, not […]

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How a New York Times journalist exposed an IP address and tipped off a major investigation

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Patrick O'Neill

Journalists sometimes need to work under a veil of anonymity, and in the 21st century, that often means visiting websites without anyone knowing that a major investigation is underway. It’s not always easy. One newly reexamined court document shows that the subject of a New York Times investigation was tipped off because the news organization’s IP repeatedly showed […]

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