The FBI is gearing up for a major crackdown on cybercrime, and says that arrests of major criminals will follow in weeks.
Speaking at the Reuters Cybersecurity Summit, the FBI’s executive assistant director of cyber enforcement Robert Anderson said, “There is a philosophy change. If you are going to attack Americans, we are going to hold you responsible.”
Anderson’s speech said that the FBI’s dealings with cybercrime would now show “a much more offensive side,” and made it clear that this involved extraditions, referring to a foreign national detained at an airport in Spain for running a botnet that targeted Americans, according to Deep Dot Web’s report.
Prior to working in cyber enforcement, Anderson worked in espionage and counter-intelligence.
Anderson said, “If we can reach out and touch you, we are going to reach out and touch you.” Previously, the FBI has held back from pursuing extradition in certain cases.
“There’s a lot of countries that will not extradite. That will not stop us from pressing forward and charging those individuals and making it public,” he said, according to Russia Today’s report.
He also said that arrested hackers could expect long jail sentences, rather than reduced terms for cooperating or becoming informants, according to the Voice of Russia.
He said that the only circumstances in which reduced sentences would be considered would be those affecting “national security”, according to Reuters.
Politico.com reported that the FBI was also setting up “online and in-person” cyber training courses for America’s 17,000 police forces.
