National Infrastructure Protection and Computer Intrusion Program (NIPC)

In February 1998, the FBI created the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) to prevent, deter, respond to, and investigate attacks on the nation's critical infrastructures and to manage the FBI's investigative program dealing with computer crime and threats targeting the national Information Infrastructure.

The nation's critical infrastructure (also referred to as key assets have been identified as telecommunications, banking, and finance, water supply, energy supply (electric, gas, oil), emergency services (law enforcement, fire, public health), and government services.

An important aspect of the FBI's ability to carry out this mission is community outreach. The Memphis Division has developed an extensive list of corporations, businesses, public services and government and law enforcement agencies with whom it communicates on a regular basis. The Division's goal is to inform them of the FBI's mission in this program and develop open lines of communication to facilitate those organizations' ability to contact the FBI when they believe they have been victimized.