|
Lunch With the FBI
11/11/99
Mike Hudack
Editor-in-Chief
Special Agent Ken Gray had called me about a week ago, inviting me to lunch.
Ken Gray and Special Agent Archie Stone picked me up around noon and brought me to downtown Fairfield for lunch. Ironically the owner of the restuarant we visited is under investigation for tax fraud -- and has been for more than ten years.
We sat down and began discussing how I got into computers, and security in general. "But how can you run UNIX?" one of them asked. "Do you have a Sparc?" I said no, saying I was running a few BSD boxes.
The Ground Rules
The ground rules of our meeting were set before it even took place -- nothing would be mentioned about who I speak with, what information I´ve come across or anything specific I´ve learned in my work at OSAll. I wasn´t about to talk about my friends, my enemies or the latest script kiddies.
Importance of Various Crimes
One of the things I really wanted to know was the FBI´s priorities -- their opinions of what computer crimes were really important. I explained that I felt the real problem with Web site defacements wasn´t damage, but rather public opinion. They both agreed, saying "if, for instance, the FBI site is defaced these people will say `these guys are supposed to be protecting us?´"
They agreed, as well that "no one will turst eCommerce if sites are defaced." But Archie Stone said "we´re not really worried about a kid who goes out and defaces one site, it´s not that big a deal." He did say as well that "we´re really worried about this group that´s gone out and defaced a dozen or two sites in the last day. That´s serious."
They did mention that each field office has different priorities, some considering defacements important and some not -- and some pursuing every single tip. "Work load and the people in the office have a lot to do with what´s considered important enough for attention," explained Agent Gray.
One thing that they both seemed very worried about was financial crimes, explaining that "NIPC is very worried that electronic banking may not be secure."
Computer Crime Fighters
Connecticut, unlike several other field offices, only has two special agents involved with computer crime -- and only one of them full-time. Archie Stone is full-time while Ken Gray is part-time computer crime and works other cases as well.
Interestingly the full-time computer crime agent doesn´t even have a computer at home. He was currently shopping for one, trying to decide whether to purchase a Dell or go elsewhere. It seemed that by the end of lunch he´d settled on the Dell.
AntiOnline
Agent Ken Gray asked me what I thought about the whole thing with AntiOnline. After I explained the situation, he said he´d heard something about them being under investigation, but "wasn´t sure whether it was in a newspaper or from [someone in the FBI.]"
Archie Stone had an interesting comment about Internet news sources as well, asking "why people believe everything they read on the Net," saying that "they believe half what they hear, half what they see on the news, but everything they read on the Internet."
Consulting
The New Haven office of the FBI doesn´t have any full-time computer consultants but does hire them for major cases. The agents asked me how much I charged for consulting and I told them that it was rather expensive and that any consulting would have to be technical in nature only, and not about hacking, the hacking culture, or anything related. I then said I certainly wouldn´t do consulting for the FBI as it would be a conflict of interest. |
