National Infrastracture Protection Center ( http://www.nipc.gov )
group, located at FBI Headquarters, focused on infrastructure protection.
The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) serves as a national critical infrastructure threat assessment, warning, vulnerability, and law enforcement investigation and response entity. The NIPC provides timely warnings of international threats, comprehensive analysis and law enforcement investigation and response. The mission of the NIPC is to:
. detect, deter, assess, warn, respond, and investigate unlawful acts involving computer and information technologies and unlawful acts, both physical and cyber, that threaten or target our critical infrastructures;
. manage computer intrusion investigations;
support law enforcement, counterterrorism, and foreign counterintelligence missions related to cyber crimes and intrusion;
. support national security authorities when unlawful acts go beyond crime and are foreign-sponsored attacks on United States interests; and
. coordinate training for cyber investigators and infrastructure protectors in government and the private sector.
It is also responsible for the National InfraGard Program, in conjunction with representatives from the private industry, the academic community, and the public sector.
The National InfraGard Program provides four basic services to its members: an intrusion alert network using encrypted e-mail; a secure website for communication about suspicious activity or intrusions; local chapter activities and a help desk for questions. The critical component of InfraGard is the ability of industry to provide information on intrusions to the local FBI Field Office using secure communications in both a "sanitized" and detailed format.