A top federal prosecutor says the federal government has a lot more power to protect victims of cybercrime since the 2014 hack of Sony Entertainment, according to Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, who spoke to IT professionals at a cybersecurity conference in Stamford, Conn., on Monday.
Carlin says last year the Obama administration changed its policy to allow prosecution of international hackers who benefit from cybercrime. That could include espionage, extortion or cyberterrorism. Carlin says the federal government is trying more of these cases than ever before.
“And so for those who say this is just name and shame, there won’t be consequences, there will, and there can be. Just like there have been against international narcotics kingpins. It’s a big world out there, people travel, charges stay, and we can catch those who are responsible.”
Carlin said the Justice Department brought more than 60 cases of international cyberterrorism in 2015 alone, including people affiliated with ISIS and other terrorist groups.
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