U.S. Attorney Hosts Law Enforcement Conference on Cyber Threats

            Key law enforcement leaders in the areas of cybercrime and intellectual property are meeting in Seattle this week to share the latest information on cyber threats and efforts to combat them, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  The Attorney General’s advisory subcommittee on cybercrime and intellectual property will tour the Microsoft Cyber Crime and IP Center and will get a briefing from the FBI’s cyber threat center. 
           
            “This is a great opportunity to share strategies on countering cybercrimes which know no geographic boundaries,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan who chairs the AG’s Cybercrime subcommittee.  “Recent indictments by the Department of Justice show that this must be a global battle.  Meeting in Seattle gives U.S. Attorneys from across the country the opportunity to appreciate the impacts on every sector of our economy – and to hear from our strong high-tech community.”

            Some of the U. S. Attorneys participating in the conference handle high profile computer hacking and intrusion cases, such as the prosecution of the hacktivist group ‘Anonymous,’ and the prosecution of those who seek financial gain through hacking and identity theft.

            Participating U.S. Attorneys include Rod Rosenstein from the District of Maryland, Sarah Saldaña from the Northern District of Texas, Melinda Haag from the Northern District of California, Carmen Ortiz from the District of Massachusetts, Laura Duffy from the Southern District of California, Carter Stewart from the Southern District of Ohio, Karen Loeffler from the District of Alaska and John M. Bales from the Eastern District of Texas.  U.S. Attorney David Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania will join the conference via video link.  On Monday U.S. Attorney Hickton announced indictments and an injunction in a computer malware scheme known as Cryptolocker.  More information on the case is available here.

            The U.S. Attorneys will be joined by a variety of experts from the FBI and DOJ’s National Security Division including Josh Goldfoot, Deputy Chief, Law and Policy National Security Division, Mick Stawasz, Deputy Chief, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Tim Wallach Supervisory Special Agent, FBI.  Kev Kubiak the Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center will brief the group via video conference.