FBI's dark web investi***s hampered by inef***iencies, overlapping objectives of different units
The FBI should establish a “formalized bureau-wide dark web strategy” to deal with operational shortcomings in how it tackles illegal darknet activities, a Department of Justice (DoJ) audit has recommended.
The DoJ's Of***e of the Inspector General (OIG) figured the status quo – whereby FBI units involved with dark web investi***s develop their own strategies in isolation – led to inef***iencies, overlaps in remit, and misallocated resources. After the audit (PDF), the OIG has issued five recommendations which should clarify “investigative responsibilities among operational units, lead to more effective and economical approaches to investigative tool development and acquisition, provide strategic continuity during periods of turnover, and provide baseline data collection guidelines that will enable the FBI to higher report its dark web accomplishments.”
Investigative shortcomings
Highlighting the urgency of the proposals, the redacted report said that darknet marketplaces used to market and distribute malware, data breach records, drugs, firearms, and child ***ual abuse material are “one of many greatest impediments to [the bureau's] efforts to disrupt cybercriminal activities.
The OIG discovered that operational units'siloed strategies had “varying quantities of comprehensiveness” and some were not even documented, with the Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit's technique for pursuing opioid traf***s credited as “the most comprehensive.
The Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit and Major Cyber Crimes Unit, meanwhile, had “overlapping strategies” that might cause “redundancies, inef***iencies, or investigative ***gnments that aren't properly aligned with skillsets, capabilities, tools, and resources.
The OIG also noted that the Remote Operations Unit's efforts to develop and acquire investigative tools have been hamstrung by budgetary cuts, and that the team had prioritized tools employed for national security investi***s, leaving operational units “without a mechanism” for pooling technologies employed for dark web investi***s.
Deconfliction
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