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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: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @08:30PM
I spent some time with the FBI doing just this after completing my third doctorate (the one from Yale). They're pretty uptight at the management level, but the average guy in the office isn't as bad as you'd think. I was only 17 at the time, so I quickly parted ways with them since I was a little too young to properly embrace the culture. I decided to spend a few months backpacking across Russia, and then I finally spent a couple years with Tibetan monks before I went on to work with NASA on a couple of their space projects. I'd be more specific about them, but they're above Top Secret, so I have to be vague.
-MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @08:47PM
Heh I'm assuming this was a joke, but if not, I have to wonder who exactly the FBI thinks they serve sometimes.
I always wanted to work with them from a young age, thinking they were the best of the best, but the more I learned about their willfully ignorant hiring practices the more I decided I wanted to be the kind of person that has a brain.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @08:57PM
Good god man, my sides LOL
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @08:59PM
Yeah it probably is funny if it weren't so close to the truth, and so insulting to american citizens. :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2015, @02:07AM
very clever. very clever indeed, young man, but its turtles all the way down!
-MichaelDavidCrawford