GAO - Cybercrime

United States Government Accountability Office

Report to Congressional Requesters

June 2007

Public and Private Entitites Face Challenges in Addressing Cyber Threats

Highlights

Why GAO Did This Study

Computer interconnectivity has produced enormous benefits but has also enabled criminal activity that exploits this interconnectivity for financial gain and other malicious purposes, such as Internet fraud, child exploitation, identity theft, and terrorism. Efforts to address cybercrime include activities associated with protecting networks and information, detecting criminal activity, investigating crime, and prosecuting criminals.

GAO’s objectives were to (1) determine the impact of cybercrime on our nation’s economy and security; (2) describe key federal entities, as well as nonfederal and private sector entities, responsible for addressing cybercrime; and (3) determine challenges being faced in addressing cybercrime. To accomplish these objectives, GAO analyzed multiple reports, studies, and surveys and held interviews with public and private officials.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security help ensure adequate law enforcement analytical and technical capabilities. In written comments on a draft of this report, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service noted efforts to assess and enhance these capabilities.