US Justice Dept. focuses new squad on cybercrime combat

10-23-2014 National:

Cybercrime gets greater focus on emerging cyber-threats

The threat and consequences of cybersecurity attacks today lead the US Department of Justice to reorganize in an effort to better battle the scourge.

The changes announced by John Carlin, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security included the appointment of a new Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and a new Chief of Staff and Counselor, as well as the creation of a new Deputy Assistant Attorney General position to oversee DOJ’s National Security Division’s efforts to protect national assets, including its efforts to combat economic espionage, proliferation, and cyber-based national security threats.

This position will oversee the work of the National Security Cyber Specialists (NSCS) Network, consisting of prosecutors in each of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices who focus on cyber threats to the national security.

“The threat landscape we face is ever-changing and evolving, and while our top priority will always be combatting terrorism, we must also sharpen our focus and increase our attention on the emerging threats of economic espionage and proliferation,” said Carlin in a statement.

“We have assembled a talented, dedicated and experienced team of seasoned professionals to launch this new phase for the National Security Division. These changes will help us continue confronting today’s threats while readying the NSD workforce to engage what we see as the key emerging threats to our national security.”

The current Anti-Terrorism and Advisory Council (ATAC) Coordinator program will be re-designated as the National Security Coordinator/ATAC program, to better reflect its ongoing work on the full range of national security threats, including combating economic espionage.

The changes will likely bring many new federal court cases around cyber breaches and crime.

The new NSD leadership team members have plenty of DOJ cybersecurity law expertise include Mary McCord to serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General; Anita Singh as Chief of Staff and Counselor; and Luke Dembosky as the newest Deputy Assistant Attorney General.

According to a Reuters report on the revamp, the changes come amid reports that hackers in Russia and elsewhere are targeting everyone from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, to JP Morgan Chase & Co and other financial institutions.

Even without the new group the DOJ has been busy with some high profile cases this year.

In May the DOJ filed computer hacking charges against five suspected members of the Chinese army. The IDG News Service wrote of the charges: The charges represent the first time the DOJ has filed computer fraud charges against state-sponsored hackers, and the indictments come after a yearlong debate about cyber surveillance at the U.S. National Security Agency, based on leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The chances of the five alleged members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army ending up in a U.S. court are "nil," but the charges point to an effort by the Obama administration to take back a narrative it was pushing with China before the Snowden leaks about the dangers of state-sponsored hacking, said David Fidler, a professor focused on cybersecurity issues at the Indiana University law school.

Also in May the DOJ shuttered the Blackshades malware operation, which sold potentially pernicious software that was installed on as many as 500,000 computers worldwide.

In June, the DOJ was part of the law enforcement effort to disrupt Gameover Zeus, a 2-year-old botnet employing an estimated 500,000 to 1 million compromised computers. The FBI estimates that Gameover Zeus, which targets banking credentials and other personal information, is responsible for more than US$100 million in losses. At the same time, U.S. and foreign law enforcement officials worked together to seize computer servers central to Cryptolocker, a form of ransomware that encrypts files on victims' computers until they pay a ransom. ..Source.. by NetworkWorld

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Feds: Michigan teen cyberstalked for 5 years for nude pics

10-19-2014 National:

She was just 13 when the cyber-stalking started.

The Michigan teen had sent naked pictures of herself to a man named Bruce in Florida, records show.

What followed was a hellish nightmare: For the next five years, the girl received nonstop text messages and emails from strangers, demanding she send them nude pictures of herself – or they would post the explicit pictures they already had of her on the Internet.

Scared and intimidated, she complied – but suffered silently.

Twice, she attempted suicide. She pleaded with the stalkers to stop.

They refused.

In a cautionary tale that's unfolding in U.S. District Court, the FBI says it has arrested a Florida man who was part of a years-long extortion scheme that involved taunting and blackmailing a teenage girl in St. Clair County. Her identity and hometown have not been disclosed.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed today, the girl spent five years living in fear before she finally went to the authorities last month. She had reached a breaking point, as she noted in one of her emails to a man described as Suspect No. 5:

"I don't understand why you can't leave me alone. I'm already in therapy, I've gone to psych hospital twice now for trying to commit suicide. Are you trying to kill me," the girl wrote in a March 8 email, which was disclosed in court documents.

Within weeks of going to the authorities, an electronic paper trail led the FBI to a Tallahassee, Fla. man named Bruce Powell, 26.

At 10:35 p.m. Tuesday, an FBI agent spotted Powell outside his Tallahassee apartment. He was arrested and charged with cyberstalking and child pornography.

His arrest, records show, came three days after he allegedly sent what is presumably his last threatening email to the Michigan girl.

"This is literally your last chance to answer me," Powell allegedly wrote in an Oct. 11 email to the girl. " You have 24 hours. I know where you are, I know where your family is, all will be exposed unless you answer."

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Detroit, Powell was ordered detained in Florida today and is awaiting extradition to Michigan. During his detention hearing, authorities said, Powell admitted he was the stranger sending all the threatening texts and emails to the Michigan girl.

A lawyer for Powell has not yet been assigned in the case.

The case should serve as a wake-up call for parents, said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.

"Parents should talk to their kids about the very real danger of online predators. The Internet is a window to the world, and predators are lurking outside, looking for ways to get in. When you send private information and photos to strangers, they obtain power over you," she said. "Parents should also tell their kids that no amount of shame should prevent them from asking for help when they find themselves in bad situations. Victims sometimes suffer in silence and make the situation worse by complying with the demands of predators because they are too ashamed to admit their own roles."

Here, according to court documents, is how this case unfolded:

At 13, the girl communicated with a stranger online and eventually sent him nude photographs of herself. He said his name was Bruce, and that he lived in Florida.

In late August 2008, when she was still 13, she started receiving text messages on her cell phone from a second stranger, who told her that he had naked pictures of her, and that if she didn't send him more, he would post her photos on the Internet.

Scared and intimidated, she ..Continued.. by Tresa Baldas

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...