Armed with Science: DoD Forensic Crime Lab Stays Ahead of Cyber-Criminals

By Judith Snyderman

Public fascination with television’s CSI forensic detectives may be partly responsible for the high level of interest garnered by a Defense Department contest to solve cyber crimes. More than 1,100 teams from around the globe competed in this year’s Digital Forensics Challenge.

The winners will attend a Defense Department Cyber Crime Center (DC3) conference that starts Jan. 22 in St. Louis. The contest was created by Jim Christy, director of future exploration at DC3.

In a Dec. 9 interview on the Pentagon Channel podcast “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military Christy was joined by Curt Barnard, a member of this year’s winning team. The scientists explained the competition, the risks cyber criminals pose to national security and insights about the tools forensic detectives use to track down evidence in a digital age.

To listen to the audio from this interview, click here.

View the Defense.gov story by clicking here.

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    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

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    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

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    Read the rest of his story here.