PIERRE, S.D. (Press Release) – A South Dakota state government agency, a South Dakota university and a South Dakota city police department are joining together in a new partnership to fight the ever-increasing problem of cybercrime.

The state Department of Public Safety and the Sioux Falls Police Department will provide funding for a new cyber intelligence analyst working at the state Fusion Center in Sioux Falls. The analyst will also partner with cybersecurity efforts now being undertaken at Dakota State University in Madison.

Officials said the new staff member will focus on both incident response and incident prevention, using open-source cyber intelligence to help citizens, businesses, and law enforcement entities address cybercrime. At the Fusion Center, the analyst also will work with alongside federal agencies.  This day-to-day contact will provide South Dakota with important insight and be a useful tool in the effort to help support and protect critical infrastructure.

“Businesses of all sizes, in cities and towns large or small, are targets of cybercriminals,” said Craig Price, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. “This position will be a great asset to keep South Dakota citizens and businesses safer from the threat of cybercrime.”

Cybersecurity Ventures, a leading researcher in the global cyber economy, estimates that cybercrime will cost the world $6 trillion annually, up from $3 trillion in 2015. Police Chief Matt Burns of the Sioux Falls Police Department said this new analyst will give his department another resource to fight cybercrime.

“As one department, we can deal with many, but not all, of the cyber threats we see each year,” he said. “To have a dedicated person canvassing the Dark Web and the internet will be of great benefit to small and large businesses, as well as private citizens.”

The analyst also will be a welcome partner to the cybercrime security efforts being undertaken at Dakota State University.

“Methods used by cyber criminals are always changing, so the connection with the law enforcement technology and cyber research at Dakota State University will be an invaluable resource for the analyst to remain current with cyberattack techniques,” said Trevor Jones, the director of Digital Forensics Services at Dakota State’s DigForCE Lab.

Officials hope to have the position filled by July 1, 2019.