The threats handled by the San Diego Division’s Cyber Squad are among the most
challenging and dynamic problems that the FBI now addresses in meeting its
national security and criminal missions. United States Government agencies and
businesses are vulnerable to attacks that are designed to alter, steal, or
destroy information contained in their computer systems. Some of the attacks
are intended to disable critical electronic or physical networks on which our
communities depend. The Cyber Squad works with the National Infrastructure
Protection Center (NIPC) located at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to
conduct computer investigations. NIPC supports state-of-the-art computer
investigations, both nationally and internationally, and includes
representatives from many government agencies.
The San Diego Cyber Squad also investigates the systematic infringement of
intellectual property rights. The proliferation of computers and computer
networks has made the illegal reproduction and distribution of protected
material much easier than ever to accomplish. Information itself has become
increasingly valuable and the focus of foreign espionage is in some instances
directed to obtaining valuable proprietary information from United States
businesses. The FBI engages in sophisticated investigations of certain thefts
of intellectual property when the conduct exceeds available civil remedies.
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