Welcome to the Crime Lab! Here you will find information about cyber crimes and what happens to people who commit them.
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.
It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do
- John Baptiste Moliere
Cupcakes
Interests:Coaching softball, fishing, catching cyber criminals
June 25 2008
School Security
I know Omni asked Dr. Keen to completely re-do the entire school's security system. It's a lot of work for one person. I've been prepping a set of computers to take the place of our outside firewall. The least I can do is make sure we are secure while Keen deals with the internal systems.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
May 27 2008
Conquest
We had our miracle. Somehow, the cadets managed to cut the Master Hacker off from his power supply. By spreading their knowledge about how to be safe in cyberspace, more and more users protected themselves from the Master Hacker's unauthorized use of their computers.
Without their machines, Nils didn't have the power to keep up his attacks against our defenses. Omni was able to bring him down. So, congratulations to everyone, both here at the school and out there in the Web who helped us make the Internet a safer place.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
May 23 2008
Breaking Free
Ex-Commander Nils is on the verge of breaking free! Commander Omni is almost out of ways to keep the Master Hacker trapped in the area around the Clubhouse. Unless a miracle happens, there is no way we'll be able to recapture him.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
May 9 2008
Perfect Execution
Congratulations go to Alexi and Carlo. Both executed their plans perfectly. The villain they were assigned to fell into their respective traps, and we are already working to secure them. While we can hope that the next wave is so easily handled, we can't count on it. Have courage, everyone. By the time the month ends, this will all be over.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
May 1 2008
Splitting the Villains
If the Cyber Villains would work together they could easily best us. Thankfully they hate working as a team, so it should be easy to split them apart and take them out individually. At least that is what we hope.
All the intel we have indicates that the Cyber Villains will come after us in waves. I've assigned a villain to each of the older cadets and went over strategies with them. With any luck, the villains will play right into our hands.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
April 16 2008
Testing the Defenses
Dr. Keen just finished installing the last of our new defenses. That woman is a wonder. She's closed every back door, blocked all unauthorized access to our systems. And yet none of the students even noticed the difference.
Today we ran a full systems check on our firewall. Both Commander Omni and I tried to hack our way inside. We couldn't do it. The defenses are solid. If you see Dr. Keen, make sure to thank her for everything she's done.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
April 11 2008
Reduced Sentence
Commander Omni agreed to reduce the sentences of both Jax and Sparky! Those two have provided invaluable help in finding Alan. They've been giving us further information on Ex-Commander Nils and his plans for the Cyber Defenders.
I think they've learned their lesson about committing crimes on the Internet. And I'm glad Commander Omni feels this way too. They have my full support if they ever want to become Cyber Defenders.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
April 8 2008
With Alan's Help...
Alan has been a great help since returning from Nils'. He's been working selflessly for days to bring us all up to speed on what he learned while he was imprisoned. I've been able to set up several new security measures based on what Alan has told me of Nils' tactics against a secured system.
For the first time this year, we have the chance of defending our systems against a Cyber Villain attack.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
March 27 2008
Vital Component
The rescue mission would never have gone off as successfully as it did without the help of three people. Alan was a key part of his own rescue. He provided the majority of the information we used to get him out.
Unfortunately he never knew precisely where he was being kept because the Cyber Villains never really trusted him. Jax and Sparky provided vital clues when it came to narrowing down the location of the Cyber Villains' secret base. When you get the chance, drop by the Detention Center to thank them. They've made some mistakes in the past, but they are good people inside.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
March 21 2008
Mission Start
We have what we need to mount a rescue for Alan. Maya, Betty and I will crack the security surrounding the Cyber Villains' secret hideout and pull Alan out of there. Wish us luck!
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
March 18 2008
Final Intel
Things are finally coming together in our rescue mission for Alan. We are currently waiting for the final intelligence reports to arrive. Alan's been a major asset, both in staging his rescue and in providing us information on the Cyber Villains he's met during his captivity. Hang on Alan!
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
March 6 2008
How to Help
Recently I've been getting a lot of requests from the cadets about how they can help us find Alan. While I can't allow any of you to go on the rescue mission with me (it's too dangerous), you can help us tremendously here at the Academy.
Information is the key to defeating our enemies, or in this case, locating Alan. The more intel we have the faster we'll be able to find him. So scour the internet and your chat logs. If you see anything suspicious, enter it into the Databank so Maya can parse it. And thank you, everyone. You are true Cyber Defenders.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
February 29 2008
Rescue Mission
I'm heading up the rescue mission to recover Alan. Jax and Sparky have been a great help describing Master Hacker's base and his defenses. Maya is using the information they gave us to track down their physical location through her databases. Betty is running communications for our group.
Alan, you hang in there. It won't be much longer before we will get you back again.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
February 19 2008
Master Hacker's Plans
I've been talking to Jax and Sparky since their return. It turns out that Nils took them with him when he escaped! The two were blindfolded and taken to the Master Hacker's base. All the major Cyber Villains were there. It's worse than we imagined.
The two kids felt uncomfortable being around such criminals. It was during that moment that both of them repented for what they did and wanted to get their old life back. They want to help with what they can. The idea of Cyber Villains out there like the Master Hacker is a frightening one.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
February 12 2008
Jax & Sparky Return!
I had the surprise of my life when I stopped by the Detention Center today. Jax and Sparky, two criminals who had been in the Detention Center for misusing the Internet, were waiting on my doorstep. They'd escaped when Ex-Commander Nils broke out.
I asked them why they came back and they told me that it didn't feel right to run away from what they had done like that. I'm going to ask Commander Omni if we can reduce their sentence and maybe have them work around the school, so they can meet the cadets. I'm so glad to see that they are all right.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
January 29 2008
Systems Test
I've taken bits of the code used in the previous Cyber Villain attacks to devise a test against our new systems. I just want to make sure that we don't suffer from the same kinds of attacks that have been plaguing us lately. So far the new systems are performing like a dream. I'm so relieved.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
January 24 2008
New Systems
I've been working with Dr. Keen's new security company as they've been working to install new security systems around the school. I have to admit these fellows know what they are up to. It will be a huge burden off my shoulders to finally have a security system that works.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
January 10 2008
Crumbling Security
I could just scream right now! I told Omni I needed more help shoring up the firewall. I can't be the only one responsible for maintaining security in this place. Every one of us needs to be careful of what we download and what programs we run.
Ms. Information would never have succeeded if we hadn't fallen for her false information. Right now all of our security systems are down outside of the temporary firewall Dr. Keen set up.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
December 20 2007
Rumors from the Cell Block
I'm hearing some disturbing rumors from the detainees. I asked Nils about them but he refused to talk. I don't know what is going on but I suspect he's planning something. M.C. Spammer used to be one of Nils' followers back when he was running around as the Master Hacker. I better tell Commander Omni.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
December 7 2007
Stretched Too Thin
After M.C. Spammer's attack, I've been going through our security systems to see if he left anything behind. It's getting to be too much. I know something is wrong but I just don't have enough hours in the day to track it down. I've tried asking Commander Omni for help but it seems that everyone is too busy searching through their own systems. I wish I had an assistant like Scout to help me.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
November 29 2007
Echoes in the System
Judging from how Nils responded to the news of his former partner's failure, I've been scouring the system for clues as to what the real plan is. I am finding suspicious code popping up all over the place. I can find nothing definitive, but I can say that the spam attack won't be the last.
Something big is coming. I am reinforcing our defenses but I could really use a helping hand here.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
November 14 2007
Security Breached
M.C. Spammer launched a full out attack against our email servers. Our security measures against such assaults failed to activate. This was probably the result of the Red Death.
After we thwarted the attack I checked in on my wards. Sparky and Jax were scared and confused but Ex-Commander Nils was positively gloating. It put a crimp in my victory celebrations.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
November 8 2007
Suspicions
I've been checking and rechecking our logs. There is something wrong here. I think our friend in the Red Death costume may have left us a gift. The frustrating thing is that I can't figure out what it was. I put the entire faculty on alert.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
November 2 2007
Red Death
At the Halloween Ball there was a character dressed like the Red Death from the Edgar Allan Poe short story. I thought he was a cadet. But later that evening when I was closing the school for the night I saw him again. I chased after him but he vanished. I checked the school's systems but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
It reminded me of the shadow I'd been chasing all summer.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
October 5 2007
Autumn Ghosts
Omega-Red appears to be doing its job. There have been no traces of intruders in the system. But I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. It's like there is something out there watching me. I am going to go with my gut and do a full sweep of all systems to look for any inconsistencies.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
September 27 2007
Shadow No Show
I've been keeping an eye on the firewall to see if the shadow has returned. Omega-Red seems to be doing its job. There have been no oddities of note. I need to thank Commander Omni for suggesting it!
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
September 20 2007
Omega-Red
Omni gave me the "okay." I installed the new Omega-Red system today. In addition to buffing up the firewall, the new security program patrols the school grounds to detect unlawful intrusion. It changes its appearance to be discreet so the returning students should notice no change.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
August 23 2007
Again
My temporary security measures don't seem to be working. I detected the intruder again when I went to check on the school today. So far the intruder doesn't seem to be doing more then looking around. But who knows when it might start installing malicious spyware or planting data bombs.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
August 20 2007
Intruder
I detected an intruder inside the school grounds! There was that same shadow present in the firewall. I thought I fixed it. The intruder was fast. No sooner than I determined we had one that it vanished. I'm going to talk to Commander Omni about installing some new security programs.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
August 10 2007
Return of the Shadow
I came across that oddity in the firewall again today. This time it seemed bigger. Like some bug that was slowly adapting itself to our system. I ran the anti-virus and flushed it out. I think it's time I rehauled the firewall before the kids get back.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
July 16 2007
Shadow
I was out on patrol when I detected a disturbance in the firewall. Things like this happen all the time. Usually any intruder that is faced with a firewall will move on to an unprotected target. This was different.
I couldn't tell what exactly had happened. It was like a shadow had passed through the firewall. I checked the rest of the school but could find no hint of any intruders. It was strange.