The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday that its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component plans to make further investments in blockchain technology to assist in criminal investigations.
In a posting to SAM.gov on June 12, DHS reported on behalf of the ICE Office of Acquisition Management that it plans to purchase additional blockchain software from TRM Labs which it said will be used by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center.
DHS explained in its notice of intent that TRM is the sole vendor “reasonably available based on the capabilities of the source.”
Another posting to SAM.gov earlier this week provided notice of DHS’s intent to purchase chain analysis forensic software and support services from Chainalysis Government Solutions. DHS said that it would be expanding its solicitations under an already existing contract.
The posting similarly said that Chainalysis Government Solutions would be the sole vendor for the purchase.
Chainalysis Government Solutions has contracted with additional Federal agencies to provide services for cryptocurrency investigations, intelligence, and cybersecurity. That includes an $11.8 million contract with the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit to support casework and training efforts.
Based in San Francisco, TRM is a blockchain intelligence firm that has also contracted with multiple Federal agencies and has focused on transaction monitoring, wallet screening, and forensic analysis to combat crypto-related crimes.
In December, TRM Labs achieved FedRAMP High authorization, enabling it to deliver secure cloud-based solutions to Federal clients, including those handling sensitive data.
An additional contract between DHS and TRM services the department’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where it supplies blockchain intelligence software for cryptocurrency investigations.