Feds Helping Local Police Fight Cybercrime

The FBI is stepping up assistance to local police agencies who are perplexed by cybercriminals stealing thousands of dollars and crippling local business computers, reports the Wall Street Journal .

The feds are working to get more local investigators top-secret clearances so they can work on federally funded task forces targeting the increasing cybercrime threats.

Last year, the bureau offered three Utah state troopers top-secret security clearances and lessons on how to track hackers from places like China and the former Soviet bloc. Since then, the New York State Police have sent one trooper to a similar program in Albany.

Many cyberattacks originate overseas, where state police often are unlikely to have the power to make an arrest. "Legally, I'm not going to Romania," said Lt. Mark Brown with the New York State Police. "That's where a lot of these cases are coming from."