TRENTON
– Attorney General Peter C. Harvey
announced today the establishment of a
new Computer Crime Task Force designed
to expand the focus on computer crime
and statewide training.
Located at the Hamilton Technology Complex
in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, the
new Attorney General’s Computer
Crime Task Force combines personnel from
the Division of Criminal Justice’s
Computer Analysis and Technology Unit
(CATU), the State Police Digital Technology
Investigations Unit, and the State Police
Cyber Crimes Unit.
According to Attorney General Harvey,
formation of the Task Force – it
is housed on the same site as the nationally-recognized
Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory
(RCFL), a joint effort of the Attorney
General’s Office and the FBI –
will result in a more integrated, cohesive
and centralized approach to combating
cyber-crime. Harvey noted that the Task
Force contains a new Incident Response
Unit that, through special training and
the use of cutting-edge equipment, is
well-positioned to respond to incidents
involving the shutdown or disruption of
computer networks, Web site defacement
and/or hijacking, sabotage via “hacking
for hire,” and other computer intrusions.
“The
importance of the Task Force’s work
cannot be overstated,” Attorney
General Harvey said. “Computers
and the Internet are the new frontier
of crime. Computers and the Internet have
become an integral part of daily life.
Countless people use computers each day
to do their banking, to operate businesses,
and for such pursuits as research, recreation,
shopping, and communication with friends.
Increasingly, both adults and children
are being victimized by con men and predators
using Internet fraud schemes and chat
rooms. We will protect the many potential
cyber-crime victims who log onto the Internet
each day.”
In accordance with a directive issued
by Attorney General Harvey that establishes
the Task Force, it operates under the
cooperative leadership of Supervising
Deputy Attorney General from the Division
of Criminal Justice Aurora Fagan, and
Capt. Kenneth Schairer, of the Division
of State Police.
Under the directive, Fagan and Schairer
will establish operational and administrative
protocols for the Computer Crimes Task
Force, and monitor all investigative matters
handled by the Task Force from inception
through prosecution.
The Attorney General’s Computer
Crime Task Force has three principal investigative
units staffed with State Troopers, Division
of Criminal Justice Investigators and
FBI agents. The Task Force will focus
on three primary areas of investigation
where a computer is used to commit a crime:
computer hacking and viruses, Internet
fraud and creation and distribution of
child pornography.
The three separate units are formally
known as the Incident Response Unit, the
Cyber Crimes Unit and the Internet Predatory
Crimes Unit. The Incident Response Unit
is, among other things, responsible for
conducting investigations that focus on
the use of computers, computer networks,
telecommunication devices and other technological
devices to commit cyber crime, as well
as the “victimization” of
those same technologies by cyber criminals.
The IRU is also responsible for providing
cyber-crime-awareness-related outreach
to New Jersey residents and business operators,
and for training members of the New Jersey
law enforcement community regarding network-intrusion-related
crimes and their impact.
The Cyber Crime Unit’s principal
mission is to conduct investigations focused
on use of computers in fraud and identity
theft.
The Internet Predatory Crimes Unit’s
chief responsibility is to conduct investigations
involving Internet-driven crimes against
children such as trafficking in child
pornography and on-line luring. The Internet
Predatory Crimes Unit is also responsible
for providing awareness-related outreach
services on the vulnerabilities of children
to cyber crime, and the impact of technology-driven
crimes on young people.
Attorney General Harvey noted that a key
position within the Task Force is that
of Intelligence Analyst. The Intelligence
Analyst is responsible for all computer
files and reporting systems, as well as
programs for processing intelligence and
investigative data.
In addition, the Intelligence Analyst
is chiefly responsible for ensuring that
there is compliance with prevailing policies
and procedures for entering, modifying,
purging and auditing data contained in
the Task Force intelligence repository.
Attorney General Harvey has also established
a Training Committee responsible for the
coordination of training programs related
to the investigation and prosecution of
computer crimes, and for organizing community
outreach programs.
“Although
its capabilities are stellar and its mission
is a broad-based one, the Computer Crimes
Task Force cannot possibly respond to
every computer-related crime in New Jersey,”
said Harvey. “For that reason it
is crucial that the Task Force create
opportunities to share its specialized
knowledge with county and municipal law
enforcement officers. Community outreach
forums and speaking engagements will help
the Task Force to do that.”
Harvey noted that there were a number
of cases successfully prosecuted by the
Attorney General’s Office in 2005
that point to a disturbing upswing in
cyber-crime activity.
In one case, a 17-year-old Middlesex County
youth was waived up to adult court and
sentenced to five years in State Prison
after pleading guilty to sabotaging an
on-line sports clothing business through
“hacking.” Jasmine Singh,
of Edison, was also ordered by a Superior
Court Judge to pay $35,000 restitution.
Singh, a “hacker for hire,”
admitted to using a “bot net”
to play havoc with the Internet server
used by an on-line dealer in “retro”
sports jerseys operating in Burlington
County. The constant “denial of
service” Web site problems caused
by Singh’s hacking essentially paralyzed
the on-line seller’s operation.
In another case investigated and prosecuted
by State Police and the Division of Criminal
Justice, 39 New Jerseyans were arrested
on charges relating to the possession
and distribution of child pornography.
Known as Operation Guardian, the investigation
resulted in the arrest of suspects ranging
in age from 14 to 61, and included a high
school hockey coach, an attorney and a
pediatric neurosurgeon. In addition to
the arrests, detectives seized computers
containing many disturbing “still”
photos and video images of child pornography,
including video clips of a Georgia man
molesting and raping a 5-year-old girl.
A key objective of the Attorney General’s
Computer Crimes Task Force in 2006 and
beyond is to increase the reporting of
cyber crime and other computer intrusion
incidents. Residents or business operators
who wish to report cyber-crime-related
activity can call the Computer Crimes
Task Force at 1-888-648-6007. In the alternative,
those who wish to report cyber crime activity,
or to learn more about the Task Force,
can fill out an on-line incident form
by visiting the Task Force Web site at
www.cctf.nj.gov.
_ag-ph_update.gif)
