Security News > 1999 > September > High-Tech Crime-Fight Lab Unveiled

http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/25crime-lab.html September 25, 1999 High-Tech Crime-Fight Lab Unveiled By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LINTHICUM, Md. -- The Defense Department showed off its latest arsenal of high-tech crime-fighting tools Friday, a $15 million computer lab where it can trace hackers across the Internet, unscramble hidden files and rebuild smashed floppy disks that were cut in pieces. Investigators will use the new Defense Computer Forensics Lab, located in a nondescript brick building south of Baltimore, to unravel electronic evidence in cases of espionage, murder and other crimes involving America's military. Using powerful computers and special software, these 80 digital detectives can trace a hacker across the Internet to his keyboard, recover files thought to be safely deleted and quickly search tens of thousands of documents for an important phrase. Cyberspace is ``a new kind of wild, lawless sort of frontier,'' said Christopher Mellon, a deputy assistant Defense secretary. ``We have important national interests, and we have to be able to function.'' Organizers envision sharing equipment and secret techniques they develop to help FBI, state and local authorities prosecute criminals who use computers, such as drug-dealers who track profits and customers with accounting software. The FBI even established its own minilab upstairs in the building, though most of its digital forensics work will continue to be performed in downtown Washington at its headquarters. ``Virtually every white-collar crime case today brings at least one computer, if not a whole network of computers,'' FBI Assistant Director Donald Kerr said. ``We need people who are well prepared.'' [snip..] ISN is sponsored by Security-Focus.COM

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http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/25crime-lab.html