FBI Chief Calls for Business Cooperation

"Historically, there's been a dichotomy between network security on the one hand and investigative process on the other," Mueller told thousands of attendees at RSA 2010 cybersecurity conference in San Francisco Thursday. "It has been a great divide between us but needn't be."

Mueller said the FBI is sensitive to businesses concerns about reporting breaches in the belief it could harm their competitive advantages. He assured businesses that concern is unfounded.

"We do not want you to feel victimize a second time by investigation and we know that putting on raid jackets, courting the media, and shutting down your system is not the best way to get the job done," he said, promising to minimize the disruption of business. "We will safeguard your privacy and your data and where necessary we will seek protective orders to preserve your trade secrets and business confidentiality. And, we will share with you when we can, as quickly as we can about the means and the methods of the attack."

As an example of cooperation, Mueller cited a recent draft of an intelligence report on threat patterns culled from efforts by the FBI and financial institutions. The report was shared with 4,000-plus partners.

"We can't act if we're not aware of the problem,' he said. "Maintaining a code of silence won't benefit you or your clients in long run."