SecurityBrief Asia - Technology news for CISOs & cybersecurity decision-makers
Story image
NEC joins forces with INTERPOL to conduct digital security challenge
Mon, 27th Mar 2017
FYI, this story is more than a year old

NEC is keeping up its interest in cybersecurity, this time alongside INTERPOL. The company recently helped organise INTERPOL's Digital Security Challenge (DSC) cybercrime investigation training, held earlier this month.

The four-day training session took participants through a process of digital evidence analysis to discover the perpetrator of a ransomware attack on encrypted confidential medical records.

A statement from INTERPOL says that ransomware is one of the fastest growing types of malware, citing Trend Micro's statistics showing that ransomware rose 752% last year.

Participants included cybercrime investigation offices from INTERPOL and experts in digital forensics from 20 countries. They were tasked with working in teams to solve the crime, identify the perpetrator and gather enough evidence for a successful prosecution.

“Cybercrime investigations are becoming increasingly complicated and this challenge replicated some of the twists and turns encountered by investigators every day,” says Noboru Nakatani, Executive director of the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI).

“As well as providing participants with the skills they need to conduct effective investigations, the digital security challenge also highlights the need for close cooperation with the private sector which has been the ethos of the IGCI since we first opened our doors,” Nakatani adds.

Sponsors at the training session also provided their own technologies for the investigation.

In conjunction with the Cyber Defense Institute, NEC provided a lecture and face recognition technology. While reportedly not part of the training itself, the company says that it showed how camera surveillance footage can be used to hone in on suspects across virtual and physical evidence.

NEC Corporation's senior vice president Masakazu Yamashina says the company is proud to have worked with INTERPOL.

"NEC began cooperating with INTERPOL in cybersecurity measures in 2012, and we are conducting a variety of activities to confront the cyberattacks that are becoming increasingly complicated and sophisticated. We look forward to continuing our support for INTERPOL training of police and contributing to the achievement of strong global security,” Yamashina says.

“The Digital Security Challenge was a very practical demonstration of INTERPOL's commitment to improve the cybersecurity skills of investigators throughout the world. NEC is pleased to have again helped develop this forward-looking exercise and provide INTERPOL with our expertise,” adds Kazuhiko Shiraishi, general manager NEC Corporation's National Security Solutions Division.

Cyber Defense Institute president Kenji Hironaka says that the Institute is also proud to be part of the event's success, in which it provided forensic content and technical support.