Notes from a CSIS Virtual Event: Countering Covid-19 Related Fraud

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DOI	[db:DOI]
	Notes from a CSIS Virtual Event: Countering Covid-19 Related Fraud
	admin
	2020-06-12
出版年	2020
国家	美国
领域	地球科学 ; 资源环境
英文摘要	Notes from a CSIS Virtual Event: Countering Covid-19 Related Fraud June 12, 2020 by Benjamin Shaver CSIS convened a virtual panel to discuss how the cybercrime landscape has evolved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moderator Jennifer Daskal, Senior Associate (non-resident) of the Technology Policy Program, was joined by Brian Rabbitt, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; Matthew Noyes, the Director of Cyber Policy and Strategy at the U.S. Secret Service; and Chip Poncy, the Global Co-Head of Financial Crimes Risk and Compliance at K2 Financial Integrity Network. During the hour-long event, they provided a comprehensive overview of the challenges that the health crisis is posing for countering Covid-19 related fraud. Although cybercrime was already identified as a major problem before the pandemic—at CSIS we have estimated that its global costs may exceed $600 billion annually—the panelists reported that the crisis has increased the scale, scope, and urgency of the issue. With more people and businesses conducting their activities online, billions of dollars in emergency funds being distributed by the federal government, and increased anxieties about finances and healthcare, the environment is ripe for fraud. For instance, traditional phishing schemes have quickly adapted to exploit fears by offering Covid-19 testing or other pandemic related assistance. Some of the activity reported in these times includes state-backed hacking—for example there have been reports of Chinese government sponsored hackers targeting medical research—, but the vast majority of criminal activity has been driven by the transnational criminal networks that already dominated this space, and domestic fraudsters targeting government programs, according to Noyes and Rabbitt. Rabbit also noted that the Department of Justice has already begun prosecuting individuals for false documentation and false statements related to CARES Act programs, including the Payroll Protection Program, and that the National Center for Disaster Fraud has been reinforced to respond to the flood of new complaints that has accompanied the crisis. However, the current crisis only magnifies the challenges faced by law enforcement in addressing cybercrime. The panelists agreed on the difficulties posed by tracing networks, data, and financial flows across borders; the time sensitive nature of digital evidence; as well as the necessity to build stronger relationships and trust between public and private sector actors. Poncy emphasized the need for law enforcement to shift from a reactive model that responds often after critical evidence is already lost, to a more proactive stance through public-private partnerships that could prevent crimes or respond rapidly to capture metadata and freeze financial assets before it’s too late. Having to process massive amounts of data as evidence was also mentioned as an ongoing challenge for the justice system that requires everyone from front-line law enforcement officers to attorneys to build technical competencies that are outside their traditional skillsets. Finally, encryption was highlighted as a consistent obstacle. Although commentators have recently worried about AI-enabled cybercrime, according to Noyes this is still not a prominent technique (although this assessment is also determined by what one defines as AI). The event concluded with a brief discussion of where the Secret Service best fits within the federal structure—in DHS as it is now or in Treasury as it was before 9/11. In combatting cybercrime, easy integration with the financial system and financial institutions can make all the difference, so there is a case to be made for returning the Secret Service to its original home within the Department of the Treasury. Noyes noted that the current administration favored a return to Treasury, but added that there were also benefits to remaining within Homeland Security. A recording of the event can be found here: https://www.csis.org/events/online-event-countering-covid-19-related-fraud Benjamin Shaver is a research intern with the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. The Technology Policy Blog is produced by the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
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来源平台	Center for Strategic & International Studies
引用统计
文献类型	科技报告
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/274489
专题	地球科学资源环境科学
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	admin. Notes from a CSIS Virtual Event: Countering Covid-19 Related Fraud,2020.