DOJ tackles cyber threats with new task force

The Office of the Attorney General at the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the development of the Cyber-Digital Task Force, which aims to develop strategies to fight cyberthreats and the misuse of technology.

The task force’s main goals are to evaluate the current cyberthreats occurring around the globe and develop strategies for federal law enforcement to achieve its goal in preventing thefts of private information, the mass exploitation of computers and hacking of consumer devices.

"While computers, smart devices and other chip-enabled machines—as well as the networks that connect them—have enriched our lives and have driven our economy, the malign use of these technologies harms our government, victimizes consumers and businesses and endangers public safety and national security,” stated the letter. “Indeed, the scale of this cyber threat, and the range of actors that use cyber intrusions and attacks to achieve their objectives, have grown in alarming ways.”

The task force will be led by a senior DOJ official appointed by the Deputy Attorney General and will involve members from the criminal department, national security department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Office of Legal Policy, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the FBI and other government sections.