Fergie's Tech Blog

Worldwide Cyber Crime Police Network Grows

Jeremy Kirk writes on PC World:

More countries are joining a network designed to quickly react to cybercrime incidents around the world, a senior U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation official said Wednesday.

Fifty-six nations are now part of the 24/7 Network, which means a country has a computer security official available at all times to help meet requests for data or preservation of data from another nation, said Christopher Painter, deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyberdivision.

Becoming part of the network is required under the Convention on Cybercrime, an international treaty that sets a legal model for other countries to follow when writing anticybercrime legislation.

Of 47 countries that are part of the Council of Europe, 24 have ratified the treaty, and 23 others have signed it but are awaiting their national legislatures to ratify it. Countries outside the Council are invited to accede to the treaty, meaning they have national laws in line with the treaty.

The 24/7 Network is intended to improve coordination between law enforcement, as Internet scams and frauds are often executed using networks of hacked computers located around the world.

posted by Fergie @ 3/12/2009 11:29:00 PM