ComputerForensicsDigest.com

During a recent visit to the Cyber Crimes Center (C3) in Fairfax Virginia, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano saw an usual sight: a silo of Sony Playstation 3s. Thanks to their superior mathematical abilities (a key element of contemporary computer games), the video consoles have been drafted by the federal agency to aid in password decryption.

While the stack of high-end gaming machines caused some nervous laughter about Congressional oversight and misappropriation of funds, the bulk of Napolitano's visit was far more serious. The Department of Homeland Security has designated October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and Napolitano is actively working to boost the federal government's resources for fight online crime and protection the country from cyber attacks.

According to the Homeland Security Web site, the theme for the month is "Our Shared Responsibility" to promote online safety. Among other things, the DHS urges individuals to take action to protect themselves online, endorse the concept of cybersecurity, and educate themselves and others about online security. DHS has also announced that it plans to hire 1,000 additional employees to aid in the cyber security battle.

During her visit, Secretary Napolitano got a first-hand look at the types of threats law enforcement officials are fighting online. An investigator from the Virginia State Police posed as a 14-year-old girl on a chat site, and was quickly approached by a man making sexually-suggestive comments. The entire exchange was projected onto a screen for the Secretary and other guests to follow along.

C3, which is operated by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (a division of DHS), is merely one of a number of newly-created or expanded cyber crime-fighting facilities. Enormous resources have been poured into increasing the personnel and beefing up the technical resources of computer crime labs, a development that is having a profound impact not only on law enforcement but also the judicial system as a whole.

While the underlying crimes remain simple (theft, extortion, vandalism), the means of committing them and the investigative tools required to solve them are increasingly sophisticated. It will be a continual challenge for defense attorneys to keep pace.