Here at the FOSE show in Washington DC, cybersecurity and cybercrime are hot topics of conversation.

I attended a keynote presentation by Steven R. Chabinsky, Deputy Assistant Director, Cyber Division of the FBI yesterday. Mr. Chabinsky did not soft sell cybersecurity and cybercrime; rather, he described the current situation in very stark terms. First, he stated that cybercrime is one of the FBI’s top three priorities. Chabinsky described the threat as follows: “A serious cyber attack is a potential game changer. It represents an existential threat, one that threatens our nation.”

So are we vulnerable? According to Chabinsky, “a determined adversary with enough time and resources will always be able to penetrate a targeted system.” The result? “Everything is being stolen–wholesale.”

Chabinsky did a good job of describing cybercriminal organizations, breaking down the division of labor, specialties, and sophistication associated with these groups. He also went through a few extreme examples. A global cybercrime syndicate broke into an encrypted file containing ATM passwords. Within 24 hours, the group had created 400 phony ATM cards in 287 countries and made over 14,000 ATM transactions. In one day, they stole over $10 million.

Very scary stuff, but Mr. Chabinsky also described some of the progress being made by the FBI. The FBI Cybersquad is now in place in 56 FBI field offices around the world. Every new FBI agent must go through cybercrime and cybersecurity training at Quantico. Combined with international partners, the FBI has 60 legal attache offices around the world and it made 230 arrests last year.

In spite of the progress, the overall picture painted by Chabinsky was pretty scary. To his credit, he didn’t shy away from this reality. He ended his keynote with a plea to the security community recommending that audience members be vocal and vigilant, point out security vulnerabilities, question vendors, and constantly look to improve cyber defenses. Chabinsky stated, “there is a need for a public dialogue–our economic and national security is at stake.”

Related posts:

1. FBI Deputy Assistant Director Describes Cybercrime Sophistication
2. Why Are There Still So Many Problems with The Federal Cybersecurity Effort?
3. US-CERT May Not Be Able to Fulfill its Cybersecurity Mission
4. “Must Read” Report on Cyber Warfare from McAfee
5. Fatal System Error: A MUST read for IT professionals, legislators, and law enforcement

Tags: cybercrime, Cybersecurity, FBI, Steven Chabinsky