As a year of mega-breaches and hacks draws to a close, one thing is clear: demand for experts with knowledge of cyber crime and digital forensics is going nowhere but up.
Take, for example, the latest job post from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, which seeks “experienced and certified cyber experts to consider joining the FBI to apply their well-honed tradecraft as cyber special agents.”
“We’re putting a big focus on cyber background now,” said Robert Anderson, Jr. , the executive assistant director for the Bureau’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch at the FBI in a video statement. “What we want are people who are going to come and be part of a team that is working different very complex types of investigations and to utilize their skill sets in that team environment.”
According to a statement, the FBI has launched a campaign to bring aboard more technical talent, including computer scientists, IT specialists, and engineers.
In a job posting—open until January 20—the FBI says it is looking to hire a “Special Agent (Cyber)” (age range 23-37) at a salary ranging from $59,340 to $76,568 a year.
As a Cyber Special Agent Special Agent (Cyber), candidates will be working in what is described as a “high pressure and demanding team environment,” and must be “able to work independently, adapt to changing and sometimes dangerous situations and make logical, well-reasoned decisions based on all available facts.”
Among other things, FBI Special Agents (Cyber) will investigate “cyber-based terrorism, computer intrusions, online exploitation, and major cyber fraud schemes,” “identify and investigate individuals or groups involved in Foreign Intelligence activities, terrorist groups/threats and criminal organizations” and “locate and extract evidence concealed within computers or computer networks.”
Read more via FBI — FBI Seeking Tech Experts to Become Cyber Special Agents.
I think if they want anybody even half as good as they need, never mind the very best, to be defending their cyber syetems and overall cyber security then they are going to need to offer a much more attractivbe salary than that.
When I read all that, I was sort of fantasising over the iea of ‘imagine if I was American and had the expertise to go and do something like that!? work for the FBI.’ Then I read the salary bit they were offering and I laughed out loud at it. That is absolutely ridiculous that they can expect the even half of those who come forward for the position will be worthy of such a vital role in defendin the country. The majority of those who are at the top of their game, they’re going to go and work for that other company that pays them almost twice as much.