Weed, low pay, and a lack of female employees, are what's leaving the US susceptible to cyber attacks.
In its latest published report on the nation's cyber security strategy (2015), the US department of justice found that 40 per cent of FBI cyber security positions were unfilled.
The report found that:
The FBI did not hire 52 of the 134 computer scientists for which it was authorised; and five of the 56 field offices did not have a computer scientist assigned to that office’s Cyber Task Force.
The gap between candidates and job postings is only likely to grow, given the predicted boom in cyber security jobs that consultants Frost and Sullivan claim will outstrip the number of qualified experts by 2020.
A draft of a new executive orders on cyber security was published in the Washington Post, ordering a review of 'Workforce Development' which focused on changes to the education curriculum and the department of Education.
A more pressing problem for the FBI is the President's executive order from January which has prolonged the current hiring freeze in the federal government.
Marijuana
One of the main problems for the bureau appears to be weed.
A human resources official explained in the 2015 report that while 5000 persons may apply to the FBI's cyber security division, only 2000 will meet the eligibility requirements.
The marijuana problem was highlighted by Motherboard in 2014, when FBI director James Comey (who has since gone on to make bigger and bolder headlines) made remarks that were quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
More:
https://www.indy100.com/article/fbi-cyber-security-hiring-marijuana-weed-pot-smoke-7642821This was a candidate for Ridiculous News, but I think the underlying problem is important enough to get it's own thread.
