Jim Christy is is a retired Special Agent that has specialized in cyber crime investigations and digital forensics for over 29 years with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and now the private sector as the Vice President for Investigations and Digital Forensics for Cymmetria. Jim left the government in July 2013 after 42 years of public service and has started his own consulting firm, The Christy Group, LLC. He has also co-founded The Digital Forensics Consortium, a 501 3(c) non-profit organization to promote STEM and specifically cyber investigations and digital forensics to students. The Digital Forensics Consortium has received a grant from the US Department of Homeland Security to resurrect both the Digital Forensics Challenge and the Digital Crime Scene Challenge he created for DC3.
In 1986, Jim obtained notoriety as the original case agent for the “Hanover Hacker” case. This case involved a group of German hackers who electronically penetrated DOD computer systems all over the world and sold the information to the Soviet KGB. The case was detailed in the best seller, “The Cuckoo’s Egg”, by Dr. Cliff Stoll.
In 2006, Christy created the DC3 Digital Forensics Challenge an international competition that in 2013 had 1,800 participants spanning 49 states and 53 countries. The exercises were designed to develop, hone, and engage participants in the fields of cyber investigation, digital forensics, and cyber security.
Jim has been asked by Mr. Jeff Moss and the Black Hat & Defcon organizers to create and moderate the “Meet the Fed” panel for approximately 12 years. Jim brought together the current and former senior cyber government leaders for multiple panel discussions before one of the world’s largest hacker conventions.