-Caveat Lector-
Friday July 20 08:15 PM EDT
Feds bulk up to fight cybercrime
By Lisa M. Bowman
ZDNet News
On a day that the White House's Web site came under attack, U.S. Attorney
General John Ashcroft announces a new initiative that includes added
personnel to fight hackers and pirates.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said federal officials would crack down
on an increasing wave of cybercrime by beefing up 10 specialized units so
they can better concentrate on catching hackers and pirates.
The squads, dubbed Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property, or CHIP,
units will focus on copyright theft, computer fraud and hacking.
Ashcroft, speaking after meeting with Silicon Valley CEOs at VeriSign
offices in Mountain View, Calif., said he wants to send a message to
cybercriminals that they're not immune to prosecution.
"There's this idea somehow that you can get away with it here," he said.
"That's an idea we must curtail. There are no free passes in cyberspace."
Ashcroft said the attack on Whitehouse.gov this week--along with viruses
such as Melissa and I Love You--are further evidence that the government
must work harder to catch cybercriminals.
However, Ashcroft also said that technology companies must do their part.
He criticized tech firms for failing to turn to law enforcement when their
networks are compromised. After all, he said, banks call the cops when
there's a robbery in their branch. Ashcroft said companies that don't
contact the FBI--because they're afraid of the hit to their reputations or
bottom line--are aiding criminals. "These fears, while understandable, are
self-defeating," he said. "A company that does not report crime leaves the
criminal free to strike again."
Ashcroft would not comment specifically on the recent detention by federal
law enforcement of a Russian computer programmer who created software that
allegedly violates the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a
law that makes it illegal to possess or share any program that could be
used to crack copyright protection. Ashcroft said it wasn't his job to
change laws. "My responsibility is to defend the law," he said.
Ashcroft also credited Robert Mueller, the current FBI director, with
aggressively fighting cybercrime. Mueller, who visited the CEOs along with
Ashcroft but did not speak at the press conference, is the U.S. attorney in
the San Francisco office that issued arrest orders for the Russian
programmer.
The switch in leadership at the Department of Justice and FBI has raised
questions about the future of a system formerly known as Carnivore, which
lets law enforcement intercept electronic transmissions such as e-mail.
Civil libertarians worry the system could be used to spy on innocent
citizens, and Ashcroft has voiced similar concerns. At the press conference
Friday, Ashcroft dodged the issue, saying the FBI no longer has a system
called Carnivore (the name has been changed) and that he would explore
systems that are "privacy neutral."
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The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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