Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
“As you’d expect, given that China wields a bigger hacking program than those of every major nation combined, we’re confronting them across the country and around the world, literally every day,” Wray said.
He also discussed the FBI’s Model Cyber Squad initiative, which looks to eventually equip each of the Bureau’s 56 field offices with at least one interdisciplinary team dedicating to detecting and deterring cyber threats.
Each Model Cyber Squad consists of about 12 FBI personnel, including special agents, intelligence analysts, and additional experts such as computer scientists and data analysts—”the perfect blend of investigative, technical, and analytical know-how to both identify cyber threats and take them down—Wray said.
These squads will help us focus on responding to cyber incidents, assisting victims, and outpacing malign efforts by foreign adversaries and other bad cyber actors, he added.
Finally, he encouraged the students in attendance to considering cyber careers with the FBI, since Bureau needs more technical experts to help us stay ahead of such threats.
He emphasized the wide range of ways budding cyber minds could help support the FBI’s efforts in this arena, including by:
- Planning and executing the “joint, sequenced operations” of tomorrow
- Serving on a Cyber Action Team
- Working with victims
- Otherwise assisting with cyber incident response here at home or overseas
“For years, the Bureau has been laser-focused on hitting as many adversaries as we can and on getting the most bang for our buck out of every operation,” he said, “but with the cyber threat growing increasingly severe and complex, we’ve got both the room, and the need, to grow. So I hope some of you will apply to join us.”