Up Close with Cyber Agent Brian T. Herrick

Considered a Career as an FBI Cyber Agent?
Here’s What It’s Like: Up Close and Personal

01/07/05

Meet Special Agent Brian T. Herrick of the FBI’s Office in Buffalo, New York.

Q: Brian, you were launched on a high-tech career in private industry. How on earth did you end up in the FBI?
Brian: It’s a funny story. I was in a high-tech company that became interested in the FBI’s program to improve information sharing between private industry and government to protect U.S. critical infrastructures. So I was signed up in the Philadelphia “InfraGard“ chapter and later served as a chapter vice-president in Wilmington, Delaware. Working with FBI agents did it. They loved their work, and I could see why with my own eyes. I knew it was the right move to put my technical skills to work for the FBI—for both public service and personal satisfaction reasons. Today, among other things, I’m the coordinator for the Buffalo InfraGard chapter.

Q: Can you give me a thumbnail of what you’ve done in your two years as an agent?
Brian: To say it’s been diverse and totally absorbing is an understatement. I focus mainly on Cyber crimes, but as a relatively “new” agent, I’ve cut my teeth on a variety of cases. Things like responding to bank robberies, providing security for undercover drug buys, monitoring organized crime Title III’s (wiretaps), and working a kidnapping. I’ve even done aerial surveillance on a racketeering case that gave me the best view of Niagara Falls I’ve ever seen!

Q: What’s a typical working day like?
Brian: Honestly, there is no such thing in the Bureau. This can make it difficult to plan sometimes, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. In my computer forensic work alone on any given day I might be examining logs of a network intrusion...interviewing an Internet fraud victim...analyzing the seized computer of a child predator...doing research for a Cyber Terrorism case...readying evidence for presentation to a Grand Jury...or helping out with other cases. For example, helping the bank robbery squad retrieve some digital images of a recent hold up from a bank surveillance camera. Just recently I worked undercover to get evidence in an illegal software case—it was a completely interesting experience that got us the evidence and probable cause we needed to execute a search warrant on the subject’s residence and website. I interviewed him in New Jersey and got a full confession, which is always nice—very satisfying.

Q: What do you like best about the job?
Brian: Believe it or not, I like the access to technology. Director Mueller has made technology improvements one of the FBI top priorities and it shows. I’m really pleased with the technical tools I have to do my job. Here in Buffalo I’m part of what we affectionately call CyberSWAT—a group of technically trained Agents who respond to network intrusions in real-time to help identify the attacker and assist with the preservation of evidence. We have some special software and equipment to help us—the access to emerging technology is really excellent.

Links: Apply at FBI Jobs | Cyber investigations | Infragard