Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday the publication of a comprehensive assessment of cyber threats to the United States along with the ways in which the U.S. Department of Justice combats those threats.
“The Internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate, and participate in our economy, but these tools can be—and frequently are—exploited by criminals, terrorists, and enemy governments,” Sessions said. “At the Department of Justice, we take these threats seriously. That is why I am grateful to the members of the Cyber-Digital Task Force for providing me with this thorough, first-of-its-kind report, which comprehensively details the scope of the problem and provides initial recommendations on the most effective ways that the Department can confront cyber threats and keep the American people safe.”
The report has been underway since February when the Cyber-Digital Task Force was established. Consisting of representatives from several divisions of the Attorney General’s office as well as FBI executives, the task force was created to address how the department is responding to global cyber threats and what federal law enforcement can do to improve its efficacy in the area. In that regard, the report identifies foreign influences and describing how they target democratic processes — including the potential of attacks on the 2018 midterm elections.
Additionally, the report addresses other cyber threats and the efforts to stop them, the FBI’s role in response, efforts to recruit and train a new generation of personnel qualified to combat the attacks, and priority policies that could improve the Task Force’s future efforts.