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What would a very online version of James Bond look like? Maybe he would be a special cybercrime agent, like the people who work in the US government. To find out what it takes to become a cybersecurity investigator and what the job entails, I spoke to Mike Prado, deputy assistant director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s investigations unit.

What does a cybersecurity investigator do?

At HSI’s Cyber ​​Crimes Center, different career paths require different skill sets. Special agents, computer forensics analysts, and intelligence analysts work to stop cryptojacking, cyberespionage, exploitation, extortion plots, phishing schemes, and even human trafficking cases. There are also cybersecurity specialists who focus on detecting and thwarting conspiracies involving malware or ransomware.

The Cyber ​​Crimes Center also handles online investigations involving some of the most vulnerable members of society: children. HSI manages the (HERO) program, a paid internship that provides cybercrime training to disabled veterans, many of whom have experience working with U.S. Army Special Forces units. After completing the HERO internship, which includes 13 weeks of training and 9 months of service, you are eligible for employment as an HSI Special Agent Assistant.

The job requires assistants to identify and preserve disturbing media, including images and videos depicting “child sexual exploitation and abuse material.” Prado said one of the choke points in these types of investigations is the handling of sensitive data, so help from HERO workers allows the department to take on more cases.

POV: You are a cybercrime special agent

Not all cybercrime-fighting careers within HSI require first-hand insight into humanity’s worst offenders. “The beauty of this job is that every day is different,” Prado said, noting that some jobs at the Cyber ​​Crime Center consist of “regular office work that is necessary for the federal government bureaucracy.” At the same time, other roles may require an officer to execute a search warrant in person, rescue a child from a potentially dangerous situation in a home, or travel around the world to work alongside law enforcement. orders from other countries in the context of international investigations.

Keeping up with the latest crimes and schemes happening online can be a job in itself. That’s why HSI’s cybercrime investigators train several times a year to stay on top of the ever-changing cybersecurity threat landscape. Agents also benefit from outside help, as Prado mentioned that the government works closely with representatives of the private technology industry to stay on top of technological trends.

Of course, if you’re a special agent, you may also need to be able to hold your own offline. According to Prado, in addition to regular cybersecurity classes, special agents go through basic criminal investigation training exercises, including “all the defensive tactics and firearms training one would expect.” that a federal law enforcement officer receives.”

How Cybercriminals Get Caught

Like many people, I fell asleep to episodes of Law and order after a long day of work. I know the moment when detectives wander through a crime scene and a series of seemingly disparate clues lead them directly to the perpetrators. Prado said that while cybercrime scenes are a little different, the process is quite similar to traditional law enforcement investigations.

“We work in both the physical world and the digital cyber environment, and many of the same principles apply to both,” Prado said. “Working undercover or delving into the darkest corners of the dark web and observing what happens in real time: these are all crime scenes.”

Cybercriminals get caught in different ways, but that’s because HSI has all the resources of the government and its operations extend beyond U.S. shores. There are 237 field offices in the United States and 90 worldwide.

Fighting crime in the age of AI

Prado told me that, like everyone else, his department is grappling with the sudden rise of generative AI tools flooding app stores. In the last year alone, we’ve seen an increase in reports of scams involving AI-generated content, including tricking people trying to file their returns, with criminals using AI tools to create AI-generated content and to lure victims to fraudsters.

As AI poses a new threat and headache for Prado agents, the HSI is also adopting AI tools. Prado said HSI’s internal AI models will comply with the presidential executive order on the use of artificial intelligence. He explained that HSI’s policy on AI-assisted work “always keeps a criminal investigator or analyst in the loop to ensure that no decisions are made solely from AI-generated processes “.

He gave a common example: using AI to scan a database for specific information. Prado added: “We are exploring all ways to exploit this new technology responsibly, but we are seeing that criminals are using it much more frequently now, and we are responding as best we can. »

Can you become a cybercrime investigator?

Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing industry, and given the complexity of the crimes and scams that security analysts must deal with, a lot of experience and training is required for jobs in this sector. Many private companies, like Microsoft, have stepped up their efforts.

HSI representatives attend career fairs to find talented candidates. Current and former officers have diverse backgrounds, coming from careers in law enforcement, the military and the private sector. Prado also good-naturedly mentioned that many private companies and other government agencies now employ former HSI agents because they are trained to combat cybercrime.

So, what is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security looking for in a candidate? Prado said he is looking for people with patriotism and a genuine interest and enthusiasm for law enforcement, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a degree or work experience in information security or computer science. And don’t worry, I asked: if you’re a former hacker with a clean record, you’re in his book, too.

“Anyone who reads your site and is interested in (cybersecurity) will have no shortage of career options. And obviously, if he or she is interested in a career in federal law enforcement, I would encourage them to look very, very carefully at HSI,” Prado said.