What It Takes to Be an FBI Cyber Special Agent

The agency is looking for top tech experts.

ByABC News
December 30, 2014, 3:09 PM
The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seen at the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, Aug. 8, 2013.
The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seen at the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, Aug. 8, 2013.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

— -- The FBI is seeking to recruit a new class of cyber sleuths.

With cyber crime more prevalent than ever (look no further than the recent Sony hack), the FBI is seeking to hire a new class of technologically savvy special agents to lead the charge.

Here's the catch: Not only do the tech geniuses have to be cyber savvy, but they also need to be fit.

Candidates will have to pass a fitness test, medical exam, polygraph and a rigorous background check.

"Cyber agents will be integrated into all the different violations that we work. So whether it’s a counterterrorism or counterintelligence investigation, they could be the lead agent in the case," Robert Anderson, Jr., executive assistant director for the FBI's cyber crimes branch, said in a video.

Among the cyber crimes the agents will investigate are website hacks, intrusions, data theft, botnets, and denial of service attacks, which recently took down Sony's PlayStation and the XBOX networks over Christmas.

Once chosen, it's then off to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia where new recruits will spend their first 19 weeks on the job going through intense training before being transferred to the office where they're most needed.