“We’re with the FBI.”

Those four words, uttered by a couple of strangers flashing badges on the doorstep, are enough to make nearly anyone nervous. Historically, they have been particularly nerve-wracking for terrorists, spies, cybercriminals…and CEOs.

When the FBI shows up at a corporation to investigate a potential problem, corporate executives probably do not immediately think of them as friends working to protect the company and the nation. While they recognize the important role the FBI plays in national security, they can’t help but visualize the worst-case scenario and see them as a potential concern for shareholders and corporate reputation.
Fortunately, that is all beginning to change. The FBI’s Counterintelligence (CI) Domain Program is positioning the Bureau in a much more proactive stance by building pre-incident dialog and information-sharing partnerships with businesses, academia and other government agencies.

Security executives and directors in organizations of all types may soon find themselves working with the Bureau to harden their organizations ahead of an incident. Companies big and small, international and domestic, all participate in activities that could invite cyber attacks, terrorism and counterintelligence activities — private security threats that fall directly within FBI’s new focus.