Cyber Crime

NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION CENTER (NIPC)

On May 22, 1998, President Clinton announced a new directive designed to protect the Nation's critical infrastructures against terrorism called Presidential Decision Directive 63 or PDD-63. The FBI has traditionally been involved with terrorist threats to physical infrastructures including such areas as the banking, telecommunication and transportation industries. However, recent advances in computer hardware and software, and communications technologies have made these infrastructures highly automated, and potentially more vulnerable to disruption or incapacitation from a cyber perspective. The National Infrastructure Protection Center, or NIPC, was founded to address these issues and investigate potential cyber and physical threats against those areas outlined in PDD-63.

Computer intrusion investigations address cyber threats and incidents that target or compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computers and information systems, especially those associated with critical infrastructures. Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1030 outlines the offenses related to federal computer crimes. The primary elements are as follows:

1. The computer involved must be identified as having "federal interest" where inter-state operations apply as in banking and finance or transportation.

2. The person knowingly uses a computer without authority, or in excess of authority, to obtain classified information and subsequently performing some unauthorized communication.

3. The person intentionally, and without, authorization, accessing any non-public computer of a department or agency of, or used by the Government of the United States.

4. The person knowingly and with intent to defraud, accessing a protected computer without authorization, or exceeding authorized access. A protected computer is defined as a computer, either exclusively or not exclusively, used by a financial institution or the United States Government.

In a 1998 Computer Security Institute/FBI Study, 64% of companies polled reported information system security breaches - a 16% increase from 1997. The total financial loss from 241 organizations was $136.8 million - a 36% increase from 1997. The FBI knows this is not just a government problem and needs the cooperation from those in the private sector to successfully fight computer intrusion crime.

Operation Innocent Images - Major Case 110

This is a large-scale investigation, initiated by the Baltimore Division, of child pornography and pedophile activity on the Internet. The primary objective of Innocent Images is to identify and develop prosecutable cases on those individuals who use commercial and private Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) to recruit minors into illicit sexual relationships or electronically distribute pornographic images of minors, in violation of federal law. The technological, operational, and legal advances made by the FBI in this investigation will benefit the law enforcement community for many years.

Tip Line:  1-800-843-5678

Please report web site and e-mail "spam" complaints of child pornography to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cyber Tipline.  Complaints made to the Cyber Tipline are analyzed and investigated by the NCMEC and the FBI and other law enforcement partners.  Yu may report your complaint quickly and easily by going to www.missingkids.com and following the link for the Cyber Tipline or you can phone your complaint to 1-800-843-5678.

f you have information about child pornography or other matters on the Internet which you may believe to be illegal, contact the FBI's Baltimore Office at baltimore@ic.fbi.gov.