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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is struggling to hire computer scientists, according to a Department of Justice audit of the feeb's attempts to implement its Next Generation Cyber Initiative.
A 34-page audit report (PDF) from the DoJ notes that, while making considerable progress, the FBI has "encountered challenges in attracting external participants to its established Cyber Task Forces".
[The audit] bemoaned how hiring and retaining qualified white hats remained a challenge for the FBI, especially when competing private-sector entities pay more and have less invasive recruitment processes. The FBI reportedly did not hire 52 of the 134 computer scientists for which it was authorised, meaning 38 per cent of the workforce it requires (as per budget) is simply not there. This additionally means that five of the FBI's 56 field offices do not have even a single computer scientist assigned to their Cyber Task Force.
Back in 2011, the Office of the Inspector General gave the FBI a thorough scolding over its inability to address America's cyber-intrusion threat, for which it has become the responsible national body. The Next Generation Cyber Initiative was launched in response, essentially as a platform for funding increases in the face of a swelling number of data breaches and cyber-attacks in recent years.
This is not the first mention of the FBI's difficulties in recruiting infosec professionals. Last year, the [FBI]'s director James Comey said the company was re-examining its drugs policy as too many applicants seemed to be enjoying a doobie en route to interview.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PizzaRollPlinkett on Monday August 03 2015, @07:47PM
Does the FBI hire people? I would have guessed the FBI only hires contractors and consultants, not directly. That's the way the government usually works. If nothing else, this is a PR fail because I didn't know the FBI did direct hires.
Suppose someone was willing to take a pay cut and work for the FBI for ideological reasons. We're not all left-wing anarchists, are we? But would that person have to move to Washington DC, one of the highest cost of living areas in the country? And live on less pay? When they say the private sector pays more, do they mean in the same area, or overall? We need to compare apples and apples. The differential would be greater if these other private-sector jobs weren't in Washington, DC. If the FBI just matched private-sector pay, it would probably be a bad deal if the person had to live in the DC area.
What are these jobs, anyway? Is there a list someplace? Do they want weird niche skills in cryptography or something? Could any average, random computer scientist walk in and get one of these jobs? Or do they want experience with purple-squirrel niche skills almost no one has?
If you've never seen a government direct-hire job listing, try to find one some time. They're like in another language or something. Your average, random computer scientist, upon reading the job listing, probably wouldn't even know it was for a computer scientist. I saw a technology-sector job somewhere (maybe the VA?) and it was mind-numbingly opaque. I didn't know what they wanted.
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(Score: 2) by tempest on Monday August 03 2015, @09:03PM
From the paper it sounds like they want technically competent people for intrusion detection and forensics. I imagine anything more advanced would be sent from field offices to the big HQ somewhere else. It sounds like unfulfilling high pressure work, akin to system debugging except you're not improving anything.
Low pay, crap job, annoying employer.. then giving vague recruitment criteria. I can't see how this isn't a resounding success :)
(Score: 5, Informative) by Spook brat on Monday August 03 2015, @10:01PM
Yes, they do direct hire. They had a booth at my University's job fair the year I graduated, and were looking to recruit field agents.
Yes, there's a job list: https://www.fbijobs.gov/ [fbijobs.gov]
There are field agent positions in all major cities across the U.S., and some overseas postings at embassies and Military bases.
By coincidence, the "hot job" at the top of the list today is for "Information Technology Specialists", [fbijobs.gov] and may be what we're talking about here. You're right, they're vague almost to the point of incomprehensibility; however, in this case it seems that they're just being cagey rather than bureaucratic.
I listened to the recruiters' pitch out of morbid curiosity. I'm prejudiced, since the FBI shares jurisdiction with the DIA and CID on U.S. Military installations, and they have a reputation for stealing high-profile cases and botching them (business suits and sunglasses indoors tent to stand out at the PX when you're tailing a suspect; everyone else there is wearing camouflage). Apparently, they were afraid for their personal security on campus; their name tags had only a first name, and not the agents' actual first names. Why they felt that a cover identity was needed to go recruiting is beyond me.
I didn't apply.
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(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Tuesday August 04 2015, @01:35AM
Yeech, their website looks like the title screen of Police Quest III.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Monday August 03 2015, @11:02PM
And let's say that you were publicly minded and talented in systems. You would still have to put up with the mind-numbing crap that falls upon any bureaucrat and have to report to the sociopath scumbags who comprise the middle- to upper echelons of government. Who would do that for any amount of pay?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @11:30PM
The same problem everyone 'else' has with 'getting qualified people'. They want 'people to hit the ground running'. Then do not want to train or mentor anyone. Then are surprised when the few they do hire leave. You built someone whos job it is is to be independent and your shocked when they take off.
You pay crap and expect five star treatment.
It is sort of funny. The less people pay the more they expect.