Press Release  AG Healey Hosts National Conference on Cyber Crime

Boston — This week, Attorney General Maura Healey hosted the seventh annual National Cyber Crime Conference, the largest conference of its kind to help equip law enforcement officials and prosecutors with the tools and skills to effectively detect and defeat cyber crime in the 21^st century.

More than 700 law enforcement officers, prosecutors and investigators from across the United States and Canada attended the three-day conference. During her opening remarks to kick off the event on Monday, AG Healey stressed the importance of this annual conference, particularly in a year when digital security dominated news coverage across the globe. 

“Nearly every crime committed today involves digital forensics and this conference provides critical trainings that keep law enforcement in step with those who use technology, the internet, and mobile devices to commit crimes,” said AG Healey. “My office is grateful to our partners, sponsors, and all those who come together each year to make this conference a success.”

After AG Healey’s remarks, Randolph D. Alles, Director of the United States Secret Service, delivered the keynote address. He was sworn in as 25th Director on April 25, 2017 and previously served as Acting Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Director Alles’ speech focused on how the Secret Service has evolved and adapted in its 153-year history when it comes to combating financial crimes.

“The partnerships formed here are critical to successfully combating cyber-crime. Information sharing from law enforcement to private and public sector stakeholders continues to be vital,” said Director Alles.

The conference also featured five notable lunchtime speakers over the three days, including Special Agents Pete Manning and Greg Squire, who have worked child exploitation investigations at the Department of Homeland Security for more than a decade and spoke about using unconventional investigative techniques on the Dark Web, such as lifelike props, undercover communications, and account takeovers.     

On Tuesday, Detective Ed Michael, a digital forensics examiner with the Orlando Police Department who consults on cases around the world, spoke about the after-action collection and processing of more than 350 digital evidence items during the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting investigation.

Today, Special Agents Lesley Hill and Mark Zivilik with the Department of Homeland Security spoke about the benefits of coordinating with state and local law enforcement officers.

The conference was hosted by the AG’s Office in partnership with Cellebrite, the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), the National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute and SEARCH.

“Cellebrite is proud to partner with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office at the National Cyber Crime conference,” said Cellebrite Vice President of Marketing Jody Wacker. “The breadth and depth of the information provided through the workshops and training sessions make this a premier event in the industry. Cellebrite, along with all the partners and attendees, look forward to continuing to work together to make the world a safer place.”

“NW3C was proud to again partner with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to co-sponsor this year’s National Cyber Crime Conference,” said NW3C President and CEO Glen B. Gainer III. “It was an outstanding event where valuable information was shared and cutting-edge training was provided by experts in the field. It is so important for cyber leaders from all across the country to join together to discuss emerging trends in order to further advance our efforts in fighting cybercrime. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the future.”

“Combating cyber crime in today’s world requires prosecutors and law enforcement to have sophisticated technological and computer skills,” said the National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute Program Counsel Hedda Litwin. “The NCCC is a major vehicle in enabling investigators, prosecutors and police officers from all across the country to acquire the training necessary to meet those online threats.”

“SEARCH is an active and enthusiastic partner in the National Cyber Crime Conference and has been since its inception in 2012,” said SEARCH Executive Director David J. Roberts. “As one of the premier cyber training events for law enforcement, digital evidence forensic investigators, and prosecutors in the nation, we are excited to continue our support with training and technical assistance in best practices for investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated crime. Through lectures and hands-on computer labs, the SEARCH Team provides attendees with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to successfully navigate this challenging investigative and prosecutorial landscape.”

Exhibitors participating in the conference include AccessData, ADF Solutions, Atola Technologies, Belkasoft, Berla, Callyo, Cellebrite, CRU, Digital Intelligence Inc., DME Forensics, Forensic Computers Inc., Hawk Analytics, iNPUT-ACE, Magnet Forensics, MSAB Inc., NAAG, NCFI, Ntrepid, NW3C, Opentext, Oxygen Forensics, Paraben, PassMark, ScanWriter, SEARCH, SUMURI, SysTools, Teel Technologies, University College Dublin, Whooster, ZetX and NAAG.

Attendees at this week’s conference represented 33 states, as well as Canada, Ireland, England and Japan. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and investigators attended from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marshall Service, U.S. Probation Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Massachusetts State Police, Boston Police Department, and district attorney’s offices and police departments across the country.  

The conference consisted of nearly 100 breakout sessions of labs, lectures and certification programs in which attendees were trained on a wide range of topics, including drone investigations, virtual currency and Bitcoin forensics, the Dark Net, mobile device forensics and Facebook investigations. Other seminars addressed new technology to combat labor trafficking, digital artifact reconstruction, and analysis of digital tactics used by terrorists.

The AG’s Office has long made the prevention and prosecution of cyber crime a priority. The Office has a state-of-the-art Digital Evidence Lab in Boston, which has statewide capacity to deal with cyber crime and more efficiently process the digital evidence that is present in virtually every investigation. Since 2008, the AG’s Office has provided cyber training for more than 18,000 state and local law enforcement personnel from across the Commonwealth and the nation. 

A list of participating agencies and police departments in this year’s conference include:

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