DC3 Needs 10,000 Cyber Security Experts

This was written by Jack Mann on Monday, June 8, 2009, 15:16.

The Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) is taking the search for security experts seriously, and it’s taking a direct approach by holding a national competition and talent search to find the 10,000 security experts it needs. These experts are needed throughout the government, from energy and aviation, to defense and homeland security.

James Christy, director of future exploration (FX) at DC3 and a former security officer in the Air Force says “We are conducting a national competition and talent search to find 10,000 security experts for the entire government,” according to www.InternetNews.com.The government has recognized the urgent and immediate need for better information security as cyber attacks on government systems continue to grow increasingly frequent and brazen, as
Rep. Frank Wolf pointed out over a year ago.  In a recent interview with ExecutiveBiz, Rep. Jim Langevin said that “Any penetration or disruptions in our critical infrastructure could lead to either loss of life or certainly do damage to our economy and we can’t let that happen.”

A separate search, sponsored by the SANS Institute, is underway, drilling down to the High School level to reach those self-taught “Script Kiddies” who grew up bathed in the glow of a computer monitor. 

As the search for talent intensifies, will it be hard to find the experts DC3 needs?  It’s too early to tell, but, statistically speaking, the U.S. is lagging behind in students majoring in Computer Science, so maybe it’s time to make nerdy chic.