FBI Creates New Role In Battling Cybercrime

As cybercrime grows, so do the FBI’s attempts to fight it.

Late last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the appointment of Joseph M. Demarest Jr. to the newly established role of associate executive assistant director for the bureau’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch (CCRSB).

As explained in a press release, FBI Director James B. Comey created the position specifically in response to the FBI’s need to expand its operations related to cyber and criminal investigations, international operations, critical incident response, and victim assistance.

“In his new role, [Demarest] will serve as chief operations officer for CCRSB — providing technical advice and guidance across its components while establishing and nurturing relationships with federal, state, and local law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” said Comey in the release. “With almost 30 years of FBI experience in investigative operations and national security matters, Joe brings a wealth of subject matter expertise to this new executive position.”

The release states that Demarest — who has been with the FBI since 1988 — most recently held the position of assistant director of the bureau’s Cyber Division.

The creation of his new position comes at a time when, as The Hill points out, the FBI and other agencies — such as the Justice and Homeland Security Departments — are struggling to keep pace with ever-evolving cybercrime activity, restructuring offices and forming all-new positions dedicated to that fight.

The outlet additionally puts forth the likelihood that, based on Comey’s remarks, he believes Demarest’s varied experience will be particularly beneficial in improving communication between various governmental departments in the battle against cybercrime.

Should this be the case, it would be a furtherance of goals previously established by the Cyber Threat and Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), an organization that President Barack Obama authorized earlier this year for the purposes of coordinating information between various agencies and departments that handle cyberattacks.