ICE Cyber Crimes Center - C3

Cyber Crimes Center

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), protects national security by enforcing the nation's immigration and customs laws. One of ICE's leading priorities is to combat criminal activity conducted on or facilitated by the Internet.

The ICE Cyber Crimes Center (C3) delivers computer-based technical services to ICE components to support domestic and international investigations into cross-border crime.

The Cyber Crimes Section, the Child Exploitation Section, the Computer Forensics Section and the Cyber Administration Section comprise C3. This state-of-the-art center offers cyber-crime support and training to federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. C3 also includes a fully equipped computer forensics laboratory, which specializes in digital evidence recovery. In addition, C3 offers training in computer investigative and forensic skills.

Cyber Crimes Section

C3's Cyber Crimes Section manages the cyber component of traditional immigration and customs investigations. C3 special agents conduct and coordinate national level investigations involving the Internet. Those investigations focus on the following areas:
 Identity and benefit document fraud;
Money laundering;
Financial fraud (including e-payment fraud and Internet gambling);
Commercial fraud;
Counter-proliferation investigations;
Narcotics trafficking;
Illegal exports;
Human trafficking and smuggling; and
General smuggling.


Computer Forensics Section

As the use of computers and digital devices has become widespread, C3's Computer Forensics Section has grown to address the investigative challenges of a digital world. These devices have greatly increased the volume of data that ICE agents must examine during the course of an investigation. In addition, ICE investigators now must now manage digital evidence that is highly volatile, mobile and subject to encryption by any user. This makes recovery and stewardship of evidence challenging.

Computer forensics agents are ICE investigators trained to perform forensic examinations of seized digital storage devices, such as computer hard drives, flash drives, PDAs, mobile phones, DVDs, CDs and tape media. They use all available digital evidence recovery techniques to preserve an item's authenticity and integrity while maintaining a strict chain of custody.

Computer forensics agents are located in ICE field offices throughout the world to provide expertise on investigative strategies and to assist case agents in preparing search warrants targeting digital evidence. They are also called upon to furnish expert computer forensic testimony in criminal trials and to provide support to state and local law enforcement.

DANIEL S. ABRAHAMIAN

ICE CYBER CRIMES CENTER - C3

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