Operation Swordphish

by blogger jel

Next month, the State of Alabama, in a joint effort with Gary Warner at UAB, will receive $3 million in federal funds to pursue cybercrimes that are too small to attract the attention of federal authorities. Fortunately, Warner's forensics lab is skilled in processing these crimes and often tying several of them together to show a much larger crime was actually committed. The State of Alabama is hoping other states will take notice of Alabama's success and model similar programs in their own states. Hopefully by years end, Warner and his graduate students will have already proved their worth several times over in the fight against cybercrime.

Warner's team, made up of graduate students and undergraduates studying computer forensics and justice science, has several tasks. First, there's the public component, including an effort to teach Alabama residents how to avoid cybercrimes, where to report them when they happen and how to avoid contaminating the crime scene -- that is, to save e-mails and other evidence. Second, they'll work behind the scenes to train police and assist them when needed. Third, and perhaps most critically, they'll gather all cybercrimes reported in the state -- and those reported federally that are referred to state agencies -- into a single database. Then they can analyze it to find common perpetrators and to determine which complaints or which categories of crime should take priority for investigation and for training.