FBI and Soca seek help from security teams

The UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and the FBI have pledged to work more closely with each other, with law enforcers globally, and with the security teams on the frontline of cyber crime.

In a keynote speech at the RSA Conference Europe event in London that will reassure many information security professionals, the head of intelligence at Soca's e-crime department, Andy Auld, and supervisory special agent Keith Mularski of the FBI discussed the current e-crime landscape and what both agencies are doing to combat emerging threats.

Mularski explained how the FBI is sending taskforces to work with law enforcement teams in other countries, such as Romania, and is sharing data on cases in real time with Soca, in order to help complete the e-crime puzzle.

"You cannot be reactive anymore. We are setting up taskforces in other countries, as this is where we need to go," he said. "We are adapting and making great strides. But the biggest thing is industry partnerships, because this thing is bigger than any one organisation."

Mularski argued that the IT professionals in the audience were at the "tip of the spear" in terms of visibility into the latest threats, making them vital partners in the ongoing fight against cyber crime.

"We need to work with you to understand where the bad guys are going, so that we can get out public service announcements," he added. "We need to work together in partnership so we can combat the problem together."

Auld, meanwhile, expressed his concern at the ease with which infamous cyber crime organisation the Russian Business Network was allowed to register domains and operate unchecked.

He singled out regional internet registry Ripe for particular criticism, saying that if its actions were interpreted harshly, it could be viewed as actually being "involved in money laundering offences".

"We are not interpreting it that way, so we are trying to work in partnership to make internet governance a less permissive environment," he added.

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