NL police join new Connecticut Cyber Task Force

New Haven — The growing threat of cybercrimes has prompted the FBI to create a Connecticut Cyber Task Force involving federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including New London police.

Detective Christopher Kramer, who has 21 years of service with the New London Police Department, has been selected to participate and represent city police on the task force, according to Capt. Brian M. Wright.

Eleven municipal police departments and state police will work with seven federal agencies to target illegal activity, including the trafficking of the deadly opioid fentanyl on the "dark web," also known as darknet, which is internet content available only through the use of specific software, configurations or authorizations.

The task force also will work to identify and disrupt criminal organizations that use computers to defraud companies of money and information. So-called "business compromise schemes" have cost American companies more than $1.6 billion over the last four years, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The task force will be based at the FBI's New Haven bureau and also include representatives from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service and Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Municipal police departments participating, in addition to New London, include Bridgeport, Bristol, Fairfield, Greenwich, Hartford, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Torrington and Westport. They were selected based in part on size and geographical location. The FBI will share resources with the agencies and host training sessions.

"The Connecticut Cyber Task Force will address the significant increase in the number and frequency of cyber-attacks occurring in Connecticut," FBI Special Agent in Charge Patricia M. Ferrick said in a statement. "The primary goal of the task force is to combine available federal, state and local law enforcement resources in Connecticut to address challenging and emerging cyber threats such as the use of the Dark Markets, crypto currencies such as Bitcoin, and encrypted routing services, including TOR, to hide the advertising, sale and distribution of controlled substances and the sale of stolen personal identification, user credentials and Information."

The FBI has received a dramatic increase in the number of calls from victims of ransomware, in which cyber criminals lock up computers and demand ransom be paid, and business email attacks, according to Thomas S. Lawler, supervisory special agent in charge of cyber investigations.

U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly, during what her office said would be her last news conference before retiring on Friday, touted the creation over the past two years of a "cyber bench" of specially trained prosecutors, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards, David Huang and Neeraj Patel.

Daly also announced that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson would serve as acting U.S. Attorney until President Donald Trump appoints a replacement.

Over the past decade, several significant cybercrimes were investigated in Connecticut, including the dismantling of the Coreflood botnet in 2011, Daly said. The prosecution of that case, in which hackers infected computers to be controlled remotely for the purpose of stealing private personal and financial information, used legal and technical tools now used regularly throughout the country, she said.

The Connecticut office also extradited and prosecuted several citizens of Romania who stole financial and personal information in phishing schemes. Federal officials in Connecticut last year conducted a first of its kind wiretap investigation to charge residents of the New Britain area with purchasing fentanyl from China via the dark web. And in August 2017, the federal agencies arrested a Nigerian citizen who had used a phishing scheme to acquire tax information from school system employees in Groton and elsewhere.

Connecticut State Police have a computer crime laboratory that investigates about 400 criminal complaints a year, many of them involving child pornography.

"Cybercrime is an increasing threat to individuals, businesses and government in Connecticut and across the country," said Commissioner Dora Schriro of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. "Neither impeded by geographic boundaries nor governmental jurisdiction, no single law enforcement agency can adequately address cybercrime. The Connecticut State Police welcomes the opportunity to expand our efforts and outreach in this important area through collaborative efforts such as this. Working closely with federal and local partners is key to keeping our communities safe and to holding accountable those who are responsible."

To report cybercrimes, go to www.ic3.gov or call the FBI in New Haven at (203) 777-6311. k.florin@theday.com