Crime prevention and the electronic frontier.

Advances in computer technology have increased the capabilities of users by leaps and bounds. Private citizens, business owners, and law enforcement agencies all have benefitted as a result. At the same time, computer hackers and other cyberspace criminals have grown better able to penetrate computer systems once thought secure. Violations range from minor network intrusions to the unleashing of malicious viruses and the criminal manipulation of both hardware and software. The resulting losses can soar into millions of dollars. Moreover, from a national security perspective, the cost may include the loss of human lives.

In response to this growing threat, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), the primary law enforcement, security, and counterintelligence agency for the U.S. Department of the Navy, established the Computer Investigations and Operations Department (CIOD), formerly the Computer Crime Investigations Group. In addition to investigating violations of the law after they occur, the CIOD maintains a proactive crime prevention effort. This comprehensive program uses a variety of media to reach Navy personnel, Navy and Marine Corps families, and system administrators, who maintain the Navy and Marine Corps information infrastructure.

A BIT OF PREVENTION...

Members of the CIOD work by the motto, "A bit of prevention is worth a gigabyte of cure." This new twist to an old saying proves as true today as it did in the days of typewriters, index cards, and rotary-dial telephones. Special agents stationed in 14 field offices that serve over 150 NCIS field units worldwide respond to requests for briefings or training not only from military commands but also from military family groups on bases around the world. These briefings provide basic information on the types of computer crime and security countermeasures, while giving audience members a chance to ask questions.

In conjunction with these seminars, the CIOD publishes a series of brochures, each one tailored to a specific audience. "Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace" gives advice to parents and comes with a software program; "Taking a Byte out of Computer Crime" and "Protecting Navy and Marine Corps Information Assets" aim for employees; and "Protecting Our Networks: Electronic Triage for System Administrators" targets Navy and Marine Corps network operators. Another pamphlet, also directed at employees, publicizes the department's Computer Crime Prevention Hotline.

Protecting Children

Most parents would not think of leaving their children alone in a strange neighborhood, allowing them to browse through an adult book store, or letting them meet with strangers in secret. Yet, many parents let their children navigate the Internet unchaperoned. The CIOD pamphlet, "Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace," provides parents with basic information on computers and how they work, lists potential warning signs of a child who may be getting into trouble with the computer, and offers advice on how to monitor their children's activity on the Internet.

An accompanying shareware(1) program helps parents monitor their children's Internet activity. Among other things, the program searches hard drives and disks for the presence of 30 types of graphic images and displays them by location. This way, parents will know if their children have been downloading inappropriate material from the Internet. The software does not allow censorship of the material; rather, it lets parents make personal decisions, in the privacy of their own homes, as to what they find offensive. Still, in addition to letting parents delete such files, the software suggests a range of options - including holding frank discussions, attending family counseling, and, when warranted, notifying law enforcement - to help resolve this sensitive issue.(2)

Taking a Byte Out of Computer Crime

This general information pamphlet, "Taking a Byte Out of Computer Crime," provides Navy employees with basic tips and ideas to reduce their chances of suffering at the hands of computer criminals. Specifically, the pamphlet discusses copyright violations and pirated software, computer viruses, and social engineering, a tactic used to induce victims into disclosing their passwords or other sensitive information about their computers. In addition to providing advice for secure computer operations, the pamphlet cautions employees to be wary when using other types of technology, from cellular phones to automatic teller machine cards.

Guarding Information

Another pamphlet aimed at employees, "Protecting Navy and Marine Corps Information Assets," discusses the problem of computer theft, which includes both theft of computers and information. The pamphlet first outlines the scope of these crimes, which cost the Navy $1.9 million in 1997 alone. It also provides suggestions for preventing them and includes tips for protecting laptop computers. Finally, it describes what to do in the event of a theft.

Securing Networks

System administrators literally have the security of the nation at their fingertips. "Protecting Our Networks, Electronic Triage for System Administrators" acknowledges the important role these network operators play in national security and offers tips on maintaining computer security, as well as guidelines on how to respond to unauthorized intrusions. Frequently asked questions cover the procedures involved in handling an intrusion, and a listing of important phone numbers includes the Navy Computer Incident Response Team, which provides administrative support in the event of an intrusion, and the Intrusion Response Group, special agents who enforce violations of the law. In fact, in most instances, an intrusion constitutes a felony.(3)

Calling the Hotline

Like most employees, the Navy's civilian and military personnel remain committed to excellence in the performance and completion of their missions. They feel frustrated by frequent and often-unreported misuse of their employer's computers, networks, and information. With this in mind, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service established a Computer Crime Prevention Hotline(4) to allow employees to report such incidents as employees taking home copies of government software or stealing other computer equipment, employees downloading pornography onto their government computers during work hours, and employees playing computer games at work. Another pamphlet describes these and other violations and challenges employees to report them. A computer mouse pad also publicizes the hotline, while reminding users how to protect their equipment and the information it contains.

RESULTS

By all accounts, the NCIS program is achieving its goals. Employees have grown more aware of the types and effects of computer crime, and they have become more likely to report suspicious activity. In fact, the Computer Crime Prevention Hotline has received several hundred calls since its inception in April 1996. The Navy has distributed over 10,000 copies of the software program, and a number of parents have called to request additional support. Further, the company that designed the program has created a version that law enforcement agencies can use in their own crime prevention efforts.(5) Finally, the Maryland State Police has adopted a computer crime prevention program of its own, based on the one developed by the NCIS.

CONCLUSION

One of the first steps in solving a problem is recognizing that one exists. By making Navy and Marine Corps personnel aware of the nature and consequences of computer-related crime, the Computer Investigations and Operations Department of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service has begun to dismantle the efforts of lawbreakers worldwide. Whether the offenders are professional hackers bent on bringing down the U.S. Navy, pedophiles threatening children on the Internet, or merely co-workers using government computers for personal gain, employees and their families now are in a better position to identify and report them. Both military and civilian law enforcement agencies owe it to themselves, their employees, and the citizens they serve to do the same.

Endnotes

1 Shareware is a type of software given to users with the understanding that if they like the program, they will send the author a nominal fee for continued use. This particular program expires after a 30-day trial period, after which the user must purchase or uninstall the software.

2 The software is available at http://www.ncis.navy.mil/compcrim.htm.

3 Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1030.

4 The phone number is 1-800-278-9917.

5 For information, contact the company at 704-529-0200.

RELATED ARTICLE: The NCIS Argentine Computer Intrusion Investigation

In August 1995, a hacker broke into the computer network at the Navy Command Control Oceanographic Surveillance Center (NCCOSC) in San Diego, California. Investigation by the NCIS, the FBI, and NASA determined that the source of the intrusion was an individual dialing into the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He accessed the system again later via the Internet. By March 29, 1996, the hacker had invaded at least 367 sites worldwide on 836 occasions. Sixty-two U.S. military and government sites fell victim on 118 occasions, including 12 U.S. Department of the Navy sites, which were hit on 38 separate occasions. Further, the intruder targeted 138 sites in 23 countries on 395 occasions.

The hacker allegedly altered some files, but the majority of the activity involved the installation of "sniffer" files to remove user identification names and passwords. While the Navy continues to conduct damage assessments, the loss to NASA networks, alone, has been estimated at more than $100,000.

In pursuit of the unknown intruder, NCIS compiled evidence that resulted in the first-ever issuance of a court order permitting the interception of electronic communications against an unknown subject on a computer network. The computer wiretap, placed at Harvard University, enabled NCIS to successfully identify the intruder from among 16,500 user accounts, between 8,000 and 9,000 networked computers, and from 200 to 300 online users generating an estimated 60,000 e-mail messages per day, or 4.3 million electronic communications during a 73-day period. With assistance from the U.S. attorney in Boston, NCIS agents intercepted only two communications that might not have been generated by the intruder, thus following the letter of the law governing interception of communications and maintaining the Fourth Amendment privacy rights of innocent citizens. A software program automated this "minimization" process.

Through the use of these previously untried investigative techniques, NCIS identified a 21-year-old Argentine graduate student, as the suspect. Using the moniker griton, Spanish for "screamer," he operated a hacker electronic bulletin board called "Scream!" He also had previously served with the Argentine Navy. based on information provided by the NCIS, Argentine authorities executed a search warrant at his residence and seized his computer equipment. Preliminary investigations indicated that the hacker had compromised the Argentine telephone system. With assistance from INTERPOL and the Argentine government, a U.S. felony warrant, charging violation of several computer-related statutes, was issued for the subject's arrest. The subject recently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 years' probation and a $5,000 fine.

A number of agencies came together to provide technical, administrative, and law enforcement assistance in this case. In addition to the NCIS, the Navy's Fleet Information Warfare Center, the Naval Warfare Assessment Division, and the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity represented the U.S. military. Numerous law enforcement agencies and information systems experts became involved, as well. The U.S. Department of Justice also played a critical role in the investigation.

This case represented a number of firsts: the first time a wiretap had ever targeted an unknown subject on a computer network, the first time the minimization process had been automated, and the first time a military criminal investigative organization had investigated such a case. Moreover, this case demonstrates the ability of law enforcement to adapt current technology to pursue computer intruders and protect national security while protecting Fourth Amendment rights under the Constitution.

A former Buffalo, New York, police officer, Special Agent Matt Parsons now serves with the Computer Investigations and Operations Department of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Washington, DC.