New Crime Lab Unveiled at Alabama Attorney General Office
Getting to the bottom of cybercrimes can be a challenge for law enforcement. That is where a new cybercrime lab steps in, providing cutting edge tools for online investigations.
“Whether it be a cell phone that can be used or computer, some type of computer that can be used in it-this lab and labs like it across the state are utilized to provide investigative support-another investigative tool in those types of crimes,” says Clayton Slay of the Montgomery Office of the U.S Secret Service.
The lab houses 6 work stations that also have the ability to investigate child sex exploitation, human trafficking, data breaches and ransom ware.
“Some of the older versions of ransomware, we can actually go in-we can do a forensic acquisition of the data that’s on the drive and we can find some evidence there in the remnants,” says special agent Bobby Moore.
Moore says there are new versions of ransom ware that come out which makes it hard for situations such as last years attack in Montgomery County.
“We’re kind of playing catch up so unfortunately from what I understand the incident last year-not so much it would have been able to investigate or track down the individual.”
When it comes to attackers that are outside of the U.S, officials say pairing up with the secret service or the FBI could bring justice to those crimes.
“If it’s in a country that is willing to cooperate with our investigation we can take what we have collected, turn it over to our federal partners and then they can take up the prosecution at a federal level,” says Moore.
“What we don’t want is be where Alabama has been over the last several years is not having a facility for local law enforcement to be able to reach out and get help. We want to be able to serve that void which is absolutely essential which is making sure we have public safety in Alabama,” says Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Officials say the lab…Will be the center of stopping criminals right in their tracks.
In addition to the new cybercrime lab, the Attorney General’s office is also offering a new website link for Alabama Law Enforcement and Operators of victimized payment card systems to report suspected card skimming devices.
