The FBI’s Seattle field office is participating in a nationwide effort to help people and organizations strengthen protections against cyber threats.
Operation Winter SHIELD, which stands for Securing Homeland Infrastructure by Enhancing Layered Defense, includes ten actions the FBI believes will help guard against online intrusions. W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Seattle, said attack surfaces have increased but the cybersecurity community has made significant strides in protection.
Washington is home to some of the nation’s most sensitive critical infrastructure, including ports, military installations, and tech companies. FBI Seattle says any organization should have a safety plan before and after a cyber attack, including rapid notification to law enforcement.
According to the Internet Crimes Complaint Center, cyber attacks in the United States stole at least $50 billion between 2020 and 2024. The FBI’s Cyber Division uses IC3 complaints to identify trends and build cases against cyber criminal networks.
Herrington said AI is making threats harder to detect and expanding the capabilities of malicious actors. “I think we are only just seeing the tip of the iceberg on that. I think the two things are scale and manipulation of trust. That’s a big concern, not only in terms of creating emails that are going to convince someone to do something they shouldn’t, but also audio and visual as well,” he said.
