When security experts meet FBI field agents...

Rob Rosenberger, Vmyths co-founder
Thursday, 22 August 2002

WE AT VMYTHS tend to critique the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center. We tend to critique them a lot.

I love it when computer security experts brag about their cyber-exploits to humble, hardworking, gun-toting FBI field agents...

Right now, though, I want to stand up for all of the humble, hard-working, gun-toting FBI field agents deployed across the U.S. and around the globe. I love to watch computer security experts introduce themselves to humble, hardworking, gun-toting FBI field agents. It always turns into a one-way bragfest. "Oh yeah, I fight computer viruses and I secretly monitor hacker chat rooms and I tracked down Mafiaboy and I recommended Howard Schmidt to Bill Gates and I personally guarded the U.S. from Y2K viruses and blah blah blah..." Hard-working, gun-toting FBI fields agents will display a genuine interest in whatever story the computer security expert wants to spout. You'll never see them roll their eyes or look at their watches. They'll thank the braggart for doing so much to protect our great nation. I swear you'll never find a more humble public servant. Then those humble, hard-working, gun-toting FBI field agents will go back to a van parked near a mafia hangout and will listen intently to the bugs other agents planted, just so they can intercept a hit man before he caps another victim. It's not the same as tracking down Mafiaboy, but— —well, not everybody can be a computer security expert.