Law Enforcement Transcription, Cybersecurity, and Doxxing

As the global community expands and grows digitally, cyber security threats continue to multiply and make it ever more dangerous and tedious for any police department to maintain readiness. Law enforcement is part of the critical infrastructure of any community and has a responsibility to protect against threats seen and unseen. Doing so requires increasing reliance on communication, surveillance, information technology, and partnerships with vendors like law enforcement transcription services to protect against aggressors that are increasingly more adept at causing harm under the cover of invisibility that the internet provides. Malevolent actors participate in Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) to law enforcement by using sophisticated and stealthy methods to advance infiltration into computer systems to create havoc and disarray. And it’s not just local perpetrators. Global operatives aim to disrupt, intimidate, and control departments to further nefarious aims. Agencies and their partners must remain vigilant to stay protected.

Likewise, hacktivism has become a more commonplace trend that relies on the infiltration of police departments in an attempt to acquire information, such as data provided by a police case transcription service, that would put law enforcement and their families in peril. Cybercriminals looking to siphon data from law enforcement use tactics that involve ransomware. For example, today, there is a new growing threat involving law enforcement agencies known as “doxxing,” where criminals infiltrate and bypass department computer security and privacy protections. Doxxing uses various tools, like phishing emails, to trick users into opening links or attachments that enable access to sensitive systems. It then allows these hackers to “dox” a record management system (RMS) or computer aided dispatch (CAD) to collect home addresses, SSNs, and phone numbers of law enforcement personnel and publish such information on the dark web, which poses threats to agencies and department staff. So, when you have ongoing needs for transcribing arrest case audio, this is why it’s essential to partner with a speech to text company that will aggressively protect your data. Exchanging recorded media and transcripts with an outsourced police case transcription service can expose vulnerability points if not handled adequately.

Within your agency, there is no best computer for cyber security when it comes to the best prevention against doxxing. The best prevention falls to all personnel within any department. They are the front line, and they can only mitigate threats through training. No one should have to ask, What is cyber security, or How do we combat it? Instead, every department should have programs to keep individuals in a constant state of readiness against cyber threats. Personnel must know the fundamentals of protection and evasion steps to maintain optimum cybersecurity. Developing a program that allows for continuous training and provides regular drills to test your staff is critical. It will enable you to identify your team’s weaknesses and select members for remedial and ongoing re-drilling to close loopholes. Readiness is a constant movement that requires continuous attention and care.

Since cybersecurity doesn’t end at the walls of your police department, it remains essential to work only with a police case transcription service that understands the critical importance of keeping your data safe. Athreon is one such speech to text company dedicated to protecting criminal justice information with employee background checks, rigorous staff training, advanced encryption, and other administrative, physical, and technical cybersecurity tools. When you work with Athreon’s CJIS-compatible law enforcement transcription service, you know you are minimizing risk for your agency. Contact Athreon at 800.935.0973 or service@athreon.com for a zero-commitment demonstration and a free trial.