The US Department of Justice faces major challenges recruiting the best cybersecurity talent and in sharing threat information with the private sector, according to a new memo from the Office of the Inspector General. (OIG)
In the lengthy note, Inspector General Michael Horowitz claimed the FBI “failed to hire 52 of the 134 computer scientists that it was authorized to hire,” and that 5 out of its 56 field offices didn’t have a computer scientist assigned to their respective Cyber Task Forces.
It continued:
“Among other hiring challenges the audit identified were that the FBI’s background investigations are more onerous than those used by many private sector employers, and it was difficult to retain top talent because private sector entities often pay higher salaries. Addressing these systemic challenges will be difficult, but it will be essential if the FBI and the Department are to play the leading role in combating this threat.”
The remarks call to mind those made by FBI director, James Comey, last year when he said the Bureau may have to change its zero tolerance approach to operatives who smoke marijuana, as many of the best programmers like the occasional toke.
The OIG memo also noted that despite the department’s strategic plan goals to build stronger public-private partnerships, it “continues to face challenges partnering and sharing information about cyber matters with private sector entities.”
This is partly because of “privacy concerns and a general distrust of government,” Horowitz claimed.
Information sharing in particular has been a controversial topic in the US, where the recently Senate-approved Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act was lobbied hard against by many of the country’s biggest technology companies.
In the UK, things seem to be going a little smoother, with the National Crime Agency recently announcing it shared data on 30,000 separate threats with around 50 internet hosters as part of its outreach program.
Photo © Kevin Grant