How to become a Cyber Spy

Cyber-warfare, cyber-espionage, cyber-terrorism, and cyber-spying are hot topics at the moment. From relatively low level attacks that take web pages off line, to attacks on election systems, and alleged attacks on US networks by China, cyber-security seems to be constantly in the news. In March the US Senate even said that the risk of cyber-attacks on US networks was so high the military should give up trying to protect them.

World governments are also concerned that the inherent security offered by encrypted Internet communications makes police and government surveillance difficult. The FBI and the UK and US governments have all made recent proposals to monitor users’ web traffic.

It should come as no surprise then that the UK’s Department of Defence, MI5 (domestic intelligence), MI6 (foreign intelligence), and GCHQ (signals intelligence) are all actively recruiting potential cyber-spies. Recruits’ responsibilities range from security training and risk management to developing advanced firewall and encryption systems, tasks which, recruits are promised, are critical for national security. There is also a hint at some of the espionage committed by these organisations, creating and using trojans to monitor enemies of the state.