With personal data and valuable information at stake, the agency is scanning the Northeast Ohio region for candidates to join its Cyber Squad. Their mission: to protect the American people and businesses from rapidly evolving cyber threats.


Whether the victim is a business or individual, the Cyber Squad in Cleveland, which works out of an undisclosed location, investigates intrusions and loss of information.


The FBI is in serious need of candidates who can solve complex cyber crimes.


"Those we find are the most successful agents and analysts that come here to work at the FBI, because really what we're trying to do is solve problems and puzzles everyday," Special Agent Jeff Tricoli said, in charges of the cyber squad.


From the cyber attack on Sony Pictures earlier this year, to mega data hacks at big box retailers including Target and Home Depot, the threats are materializing. The agency can also confirm local businesses have been the target of cyber threats.


Tricoli would not reveal the number of agents working out of the Northeast Ohio FBI headquarters, but he did indicate many are stationed across the country. The squad works under the Cyber Division out of the FBI's home base. 

Agents are often involved in solving more than just hacking attacks. Criminal investigations of any nature often call for a cyber agent's expertise.

"Most of our cases, whether it's computer, white collar crime, organized crime, counter terrorism, it's going to have a computer Nexus in there somewhere and we're always looking at those computers to find evidence of the crimes," Tricoli said.

To know what to look for and how to find it, cyber agents need to have backgrounds in computer security, malware analysis, programming, computer forensic and ethical hacking. Some courses can be found at Youngstown State University.

"What we do is expose you to as much stuff as possible that's out there on the web and we expose you to how to protect yourself and how to use passwords properly," Dr. Gordon Fissora said, associate professor in the criminal justice program.

The criminal justice information systems course often attracts up to 20 students a year. Students have to have a passion for logic and math. 

The FBI ended its latest hiring spree on January 20, but the agency is always looking for the right candidates to take on challenging missions.