Officer Ward

Officer Ward
Cyber Defender & Detention Center Security Officer

Officer Ward believes that most people who disrespect the privelages of Cyberspace are more ignorant than criminal, and that most cyber criminals can be rehabilitated into faithful cyber citizens through education about the dangers of delinquency in Cyberspace.

Working closely with Commander Omni and the Cyber Defense Academy, Officer Ward hopes to secure Cyberspace for everyone.

Favorite Quote:

It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do
- John Baptiste Moliere

Favorite Food:

Cupcakes

Interests:

Coaching softball, fishing, catching cyber criminals

April 27 2009

Cyber Criminals: The Future of Cyber Crime Fighting

Fighting cyber crime is a challenging task. Sometimes it feels like the cyber criminals will always be just one step ahead of us. We have to be constantly developing new tools, new technologies, new procedures, and even new fields of study just to keep up.

Law enforcement agencies and governments are creating cyber crime units to combat the ever-increasing cyber crime-rate. However, since cyber crime is relatively new, there aren't a lot of experts available to train these units. Many colleges are now offering degrees in new fields like cyber crime and cyber forensics (process of extracting data from devices or systems, usually to examine as evidence of a cyber crime) just to create these experts.

Software developers are also becoming more actively involved in analyzing and preventing cyber crime by working with law enforcement. Their expertise can be in training new cyber crime units. They also develop and provide tools that help cyber crime units collect and process evidence. One example is the COFEE (Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor), a USB device developed by Microsoft that allows forensics teams to quickly and easily extract data from a suspect's computer without having to confiscate it first.

One thing's for sure. Cyber criminals will always be searching for loopholes and vulnerabilities so the future of fighting cyber crime is sure to be an exciting one.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

April 13 2009

Cyber Crimes: Man-in-the-Middle Attack

A Man-in-the-middle attack is when an attacker spies on communications between two parties, such as a computer and a server, without their knowledge. The attacker can then read and change the data as they intercept it.

A similar attack is a Man-in-the-Browser attack, which uses a Trojan Horse to intercept and alter communications from a Web browser. Both attacks are commonly used for identity theft and bank fraud. They can intercept and change passwords, account numbers, and even transfer amounts.

One of the most effective ways to protect yourself against a Man-in-the-middle or a Man-in-the-browser attack is to use encryption to protect your Internet communications. Since the attacks can capture and change information stored in cookies, try to avoid using them if you're unsure about the security of the connection or if it is a public computer. If you ever get the warning that the digital certificate for a site is not valid, it could mean your connection is being spied on.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes

April 2 2009

Grace Under Fire

I think the Cadets handled the "attack" very well. Alan and Sparky stayed with me at the Detention Center, and I did my best to make it appear like the attack was real. After the boys calmed down, they realized the safest thing to do was to stay put.

At first Alan wanted to go charging off into Cyberspace after the ones responsible. While I admire his dedication, that kind of behavior could land him in a lot of trouble. He was lucky last year that the cyber villains didn't harm him. He might not be so lucky the next time. Alan's showing some real talent for field work, and it would be a real shame to make a mistake that could jeopardize his future.

Omni informed me that the emergency protocol wasn't quite as effective at the Academy. A number of first-year Cadets forgot they were supposed to assemble in the Cafeteria, and if Alexi hadn't taken charge we might have had a disaster on our hands. Today's seminar should give us a chance to discuss those areas that need improvement.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Miscellaneous