James Murray, director of the U.S. Secret Service, has said that the agency plans to launch a five-year effort to modernize its task forces that specialize in electronic crimes, Nextgov reported Wednesday. He told attendees at the Aspen Cyber Summit in New York City that the Secret Service intends to establish seven more task forces and update its operations focused on “the arrest and prosecution of the highest-value targets.â€
The agency also intends to invest in training activities and expand the Global Investigations Operations Center to streamline international collaborations on fighting cybercrime.
“The fight against cyber crime and the effort to defend the country against national security threats are inextricably linked,†he said. “Fighting cyber crime is defending national security.â€
According to Murray, the number of cybercrime and financial fraud cases handled by the Secret Service has increased over the past few years. He added that cybercrime investigations should also cover cases in which foreign governments enlist the help of cybercriminals to enact nefarious activities on their behalf.
