National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force

Communication, commerce, and government are just a few aspects of our daily lives that have been forever changed and, in many ways, made more convenient by the Internet. Unfortunately, these same advancements also have introduced a new breed of technologically-savvy criminal. Such crimes as terrorism, espionage, financial fraud, and identity theft have long existed in the physical realm, but are now being perpetrated in the cyber domain. As criminals more effectively exploit this new frontier, their use of the Internet and technology adds a layer of complexity that cannot be overcome through the efforts of any one agency.

To address this evolving cyber challenge, the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF) was officially established in 2008. The NCIJTF is comprised of over 30 partnering agencies from across law enforcement, the intelligence community, and the Department of Defense, with representatives who are co-located and work jointly to accomplish the organization’s mission from a whole-of-government perspective.

As a unique multi-agency cyber center, the NCIJTF has the primary responsibility to coordinate, integrate, and share information to support cyber threat investigations, supply and support intelligence analysis for community decision-makers, and provide value to other ongoing efforts in the fight against the cyber threat to the nation

The NCIJTF also synchronizes joint efforts that focus on identifying, pursuing, and defeating the actual terrorists, spies, and criminals who seek to exploit our nation’s systems. To accomplish this, the task force leverages the collective authorities and capabilities of its members and collaborates with international and private sector partners to bring all available resources to bear against domestic cyber threats and their perpetrators.

Through the coordination, collaboration, and sharing that occurs at the NCIJTF, members across the U.S. Government work toward placing cyber criminals behind bars and removing them from the nation’s networks. The NCIJTF follows both the letter and the spirit of the law to ensure that the privacy rights of all Americans are protected throughout the course of the investigations and efforts that it coordinates and supports.