Cybercrime's global reach affects us all

New York
It's hard to imagine a safer place than the International Conference on Cybersecurity, held earlier this month at Fordham University in New York City.
A New York Police Department mobile command post bus was parked outside; uniformed officers searched every bag of every participant; and serious-looking FBI agents sporting earpieces guarded the doors to the sessions. A hilarious side effect was that almost nobody tried to break the "no food or drinks" rule in the auditorium. Sneaking in a shot of joe just didn't seem worth tangling with a beefy Fed. I got stopped just because my conference badge had flipped around the wrong way.
Anyway, nobody needed coffee to stay awake, as speaker after speaker revealed new and frightening facts about the global reach of cybercrime.
This event marked the first such collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a university, driven by a growing awareness of the serious threats to business, military, and even personal computers in North America.
Shawn Henry, Assistant Director of the FBI's cyber division, said the U.S. government now considers cybercrime the most critical threat "after a weapon of mass destruction in one of our cities.
To emphasize this commitment, 22 federal departments and agencies have been told to work together on a comprehensive national cybersecurity initiative, some of whose details remain classified.
Sandra Sanar-Johnson, senior executive at the spooky U.S. National Security Agency, described cyberwarfare attacks against government and business computers in Estonia, and more recently in Georgia, as well as cyberfrauds such as a phishing scheme in Romania that just saw 40 people arrested. read the full article at http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/19288.cfm

Fordham conference sheds new light on computer crime -- Newsday.com

Fordham conference sheds new light on computer crime -- Newsday.com: "In what the FBI calls Major Case 216, a 16-year-old Swedish hacker breaks into and rummages through the files in hundreds of U.S. computer systems, including sensitive ones involved in industrial secrets, nuclear power-plant operation and the military. Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point take a training course in which they construct computer networks that teams from the supersecret National Security Agency attempt to hack."

Former judge hunts terrorists on the Internet

Former judge hunts terrorists on the Internet: "U.S. counterterrorism agents have found that it is important for leaders of different countries to share their solutions and challenges in fighting cybercrime. FBI Special Agent Anthony J. Ferrante was part of the New York squad that in 2006 uncovered a plot to blow up the Port Authority transit tunnel. Law enforcement agencies lurked in Internet jihadi meeting rooms, monitoring chatter about the plans.
'That case involved targets scattered in 22 countries,' Ferrante said."

Fighting Cyberterror

http://www.foxnews.com/video-search/m/21742015/fighting_cyberterror.htm#q=cyber+fbi
Video to text transcript from the Fox report"on Capitol Hill it's no secret that al-Qaeda and other terrorists have been using high tech. And the Internet to advance their causes and for years the feds have had success running on line anti terror stings. Now they're ramping up their efforts bringing together hundreds of the world's top experts in cyber security. And looking for more people like a certain well mom from Montana. Okay. The terrorists who struck Mumbai weren't just armed with -- weapons and explosives. Blackberries and cell phones helped them carry out the attacks and they -- their targets on Google earth. Look radicals and extremists are using technology and the Internet to train for terror according to experts. Blasting US soldiers in the president and video games using thousands of web sites for recruiting fundraising and coordinating strikes.'

Nitesh Dhanjani: International Conference on Cyber Security 2009

Nitesh Dhanjani: International Conference on Cyber Security 2009: "International Conference on Cyber Security 2009
I'll be speaking at the International Conference on Cyber Security 2009 in New York (Jan 5 - 9). My talk is titled Suddenly Psychic (content modified from the talk of the same name I discussed before). The agenda is below."

Cyber-spy shares her know-how tracking terrorists

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cyberterror11-2009jan11,0,7148230.story

....Experts from Bulgaria, the Netherlands, China and the U.S. spent three days at the New York conference tackling the issue of cyber-crime -- including terrorism, child pornography and the underground economy in which passports, bank accounts and Social Security numbers are stolen, bought and sold. U.S. counter-terrorism agents are increasingly convinced it is important for countries' leaders to share experiences fighting cyber-crime. FBI Special Agent Anthony J. Ferrante was part of the New York squad that in 2006 reported uncovering a plot to blow up the PATH commuter train tunnel beneath the Hudson River. Law enforcement agencies lurked on Internet jihadi meeting rooms, monitoring chatter about the plans."That case involved targets scattered in 22 countries," said Ferrante. "Clearly, the Internet is a tool for recruitment, radicalization and raising money for terrorists," said FBI Special Agent Thomas Nicpon. "Working on our mission, it has become apparent to me that many of these countries do not possess the cyber skills we have in New York."

Massapequa native tracks cybercrime for FBI :: Hack In The Box :: Keeping Knowledge Free

Massapequa native tracks cybercrime for FBI :: Hack In The Box :: Keeping Knowledge Free: "He's known as the 'human firewall.' Massapequa native Shawn Henry is the head of investigating computer crimes for the FBI, and after he was introduced with that informal title, he talked of the breadth of the computer-crime problem facing the country and the world at a conference in New York of many of the world's computer experts Tuesday."

Web-based terrorist hunter to teach | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/09/2009

Web-based terrorist hunter to teach Philadelphia Inquirer 01/09/2009: "Shannen Rossmiller, a former Montana judge whose late-night hunts for al-Qaeda on the Web led to the two largest terror convictions in U.S. history, announced yesterday that she would begin teaching others her arcane and dangerous craft."

FBI Coordinates Global Effort to Nab 'Dark Market' Cyber Criminals

http://www.govtech.com/gt/582293?topic=117671
FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry said, "In today's world of rapidly expanding technology, where cyber crimes are perpetrated instantly from anywhere in the world, law enforcement needs to be flexible and creative in our efforts to target these criminals. Leads in many of these investigations take us to the online world of Internet forums, where criminals go to engage in the business of selling and trading an innocent person's credit card numbers and other personal information. By joining forces with our international law enforcement counterparts, we have been, and will continue to be, successful in arresting those individuals and dismantling these forums. The arrests in the U.K. are a good demonstration of the coordination taking place today between the FBI, the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA), and other law enforcement agencies around the globe."

TG Daily - FBI ranks cyber attacks third most dangerous behind nuclear war and WMDs

TG Daily - FBI ranks cyber attacks third most dangerous behind nuclear war and WMDs: "Washington (DC) - Yesterday, the FBI announced it considers cyber attacks to be the third greatest threat to the security of the United States. The only two preceding it are nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction (WMD)."

National Journal Online -- Tech Daily Dose -- FBI Experts To Discuss Cyber Threats

National Journal Online -- Tech Daily Dose -- FBI Experts To Discuss Cyber Threats: "FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry and Deputy Director Christopher M.E. Painter are among several key law enforcement officials slated to speak at the International Conference on Cyber Security next week in New York City."

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations - Cybercrime

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Cyber Investigations - Cybercrime: "The FBI's cyber mission is four-fold: first and foremost, to stop those behind the most serious computer intrusions and the spread of malicious code; second, to identify and thwart online sexual predators who use the Internet to meet and exploit children and to produce, possess, or share child pornography; third, to counteract operations that target U.S. intellectual property, endangering our national security and competitiveness; and fourth, to dismantle national and transnational organized criminal enterprises engaging in Internet fraud. Pursuant to the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace signed by the President, the Department of Justice and the FBI lead the national effort to investigate and prosecute cybercrime."

'Cybergeddon' fear stalks US: FBI - Yahoo! News

'Cybergeddon' fear stalks US: FBI - Yahoo! News: "'Other than a nuclear device or some other type of destructive weapon, the threat to our infrastructure, the threat to our intelligence, the threat to our computer network is the most critical threat we face,' he added."

FBI warns of cyber attack threat - Breaking News - World - Breaking News

FBI warns of cyber attack threat - Breaking News - World - Breaking News: "Shawn Henry, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, told a conference in New York on Tuesday that computer attacks pose the biggest risk 'from a national security perspective, other than a weapon of mass destruction or a bomb in one of our major cities.'"

National Journal Online -- Tech Daily Dose -- FBI Experts To Discuss Cyber Threats

National Journal Online -- Tech Daily Dose -- FBI Experts To Discuss Cyber Threats: "This gathering of international cyber security experts will host more than 300 delegates from around the world, officials said in a press release. ICCS -- which is sponsored by Google, Booz Allen Hamilton, BAE Systems and others -- will consist of three full days, 50 unique lectures, cutting edge demonstrations and networking opportunities."

Fordham/FBI Conference Draws Experts In Fight Against Cyber Crime

Fordham/FBI Conference Draws Experts In Fight Against Cyber Crime: "Some 300 international experts on cyber security gathered at Fordham University Tuesday, Jan. 6 for a three-day conference on the emerging global threat of cyber crime and cyber terrorism.

The conference, which attracted representatives from 37 nations, runs through Thursday and is sponsored jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Division and Fordham’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences."

FBI Thanks Fordham for Partnering on Conference

FBI Thanks Fordham for Partnering on Conference: "'The conference has been an apparent, and huge, success,' said Joseph M. Demarest, assistant director in charge (ADIC) of the FBI’s New York Division. 'We’re giving this to you to express our sincere appreciation to Fordham University.'"