Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: The FBI’s program to place cyber investigators beyond America’s borders is expanding in response to an evolving cyber threat.

Paul Vitchock: Cyber crime has no borders. A cyber crime problem that affects one country can very easily affect another.  

Halpern: That was Supervisory Special Agent Paul Vitchock, who served as a cyber assistant legal attaché, or ALAT, at the U.S. Embassy in Romania for three years. He explains why ALATs must foster relationships between countries…

Vitchock: For the purposes of preserving evidence, responding to a cyber event, assisting them with their investigations as well as asking them to assist with ours.

Halpern: The FBI provides training tailored to the needs of host countries.

Vitchock: The instructors were FBI cyber agents with field experience, so they had the ability not only to teach the material but talk about the practical applications of conducting a cyber investigation.

Halpern: The cyber ALAT program began a few years ago with only a handful of cyber ALATs. Currently, nearly 20 cyber ALATs are serving overseas in cities such as Ottawa and Tokyo. With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.