Industry partners help battle cybercrime

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://www.fcw.com/civic/articles/2000/1225/web-mich-12-29-00.asp

BY Eric Kulisch
12/29/2000

The Wayne County, Mich., sheriffs department is bringing in outside
reinforcements to combat criminals in cyberspace. The auxiliary force
consists of 13 companies that will donate expertise and resources to
help track and capture Internet criminals.

The departments partnership with corporate America companies such as
Electronic Data Systems Corp., General Dynamics Corp., Ameritech
Corp., Xerox Corp., Comerica Inc., Bank One Corp. and Novell Inc.  is
an acknowledgement that law enforcement is technologically overmatched
when it comes to electronic crimes.

"A lot of the training that goes on now is basically how to log on to
a computer, and were trying to hunt down a hacker," said Stanley Kirk,
the Web Cops Units director of e-commerce.

By meeting regularly with corporate network administrators,
information security experts and fraud examiners, Wayne County
investigators hope to gain insight into how and where computer crimes
are committed.

"Its kind of like a neighborhood-watch club" to spot criminal activity
and identify trends," Kirk said.

Companies will contribute to the anti-crime effort in different ways.
Some will share knowledge from their experience protecting information
systems from intrusion or attack. Others will build an intranet and
extranet so different law enforcement agencies can share investigative
tips, WCU deputy chief of staff Ralph Kinney said. Companies that are
not in high-tech fields are donating furniture or other items.

The companies have contributed about $500,000 in financial, personnel
and equipment resources, and the department is seeking more corporate
partners, Kinney said.

The sheriffs department is spearheading a regional Internet Crimes
Task Force to fight child sexual abuse, fraud, identity theft,
hacking, stalking and other crimes carried out by means of computer
and telecommunications technology. In the past three years it has
provided investigative or forensic assistance to the U.S. Postal
Service and U.S. Customs Service, as well as many cities in Michigan,
Kirk said.

"I think it would be safe to say that we have made more
Internet-related arrests compared with all the police departments in
the Midwest combined," Kinney said.

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