The committee has been leading the talks between nations that wish to tackle cybercrimes. The U.S. is interested in reducing cybercrimes and limiting military use of cyberspace, while other countries such as Russia are interested in talks on cyberterrorism.

Rising Attacks

Observers say U.S. participation in the talks indicates the Obama administration wants to clamp down on cybercrime. The talks come amid rising cyberattacks on banks, government agencies, and businesses.

On July 4, more than two dozen U.S. government and business web sites were attacked, including those of the Federal Trade Commission, the Secret Service, and the Transportation Department.

Large-scale attacks took place between Russian and Georgia last year, and Estonia's government was crippled after a cyberattack. These attacks have increased in number and severity over the years and will continue unless something is done, according to Jose Nazario, a security expert at Arbor Networks.

Cybercrime has a devastating effect on the nation's economy and is increasing each year. In 2008, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 275,234 complaints, a 33.1 percent increase from 2007. Attacks cost $264.6 million, up from $239.1 million from in 2007, according to IC3.

In August a Miami, Fla.-based hacker, Albert Gonzalez, pled guilty to stealing 130 million credit- and debit-card numbers from some of the nation's biggest retailers, including 7-11, Hannaford Brothers, and a slew of others from 2006 to 2008. He was part of an international crime ring and had coconspirators in other nations, including Russia. Earlier in the year he was indicted for his part in steeling credit-card information from retail stores, including Barnes & Noble, TJ Maxx, and Sports Authority.

Sticking Point

While both nations may agree to prevent cyberattacks, Russia and the U.S. don't see eye-to-eye on criminal investigations. Russia wants to protect its sovereignty regarding investigations of internal cyberactivity. The U.S., however, wants international help in investigating and defending against cybercrimes.

A substantial number of cyberattacks on U.S. military, business and personal computers are generated from China and Russia, according to security experts. Protecting its sovereignty may help Russia, but it would not help the U.S. fight cybercrimes and a cyberwar.