Showing posts with label spy school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spy school. Show all posts

Friday, February 23, 2024

Educational Opportunity: Espionage 101 for Adults

Espionage 101 for Adults

  • Feb 29 at 10:40AM - Apr 25 at 11:40AM
  • 3700 Lake Wheeler Rd.
    Raleigh, NC 27606
  • $230.00
  • This 8-week class is perfect for adults. Espionage 101: What does it mean to be a spy? What exactly do spies do in this day and age? This class will give you a basic history of spy organizations and delve into the world of espionage: biggest rivalries, mishaps, heroes, gadgets, and more. Please come prepared to learn! This class will be a combination of interactive lectures, short videos, readings (audio formats available), hands-on activities, and some homework. Schedule From: Feb 29 2024 to Apr 25 2024 Every Thursday: 10:40am to 11:40am more Can't make it to the course? Need extra credit? Click here.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

The CIA Teaches You How to Speak Like a Spy

Spy Speak Glossary 
You might walk the walk, but can you talk the talk? 

Being a spy is more than just the gadgets and the disguises. To be successful in the field, you need to speak like a spy. 

So, before you head out on your next mission, or write the next great American spy novel, take some time to familiarize yourself with our Spy Speak glossary.

Example: Rolled-up - when an undercover operation goes bad and is raided by opposing forces, resulting in agents or assets being arrested.

Monday, October 16, 2023

The CARVER Mindset: How to Think Like a Spy - FREE

Luke Bencie (Mr. Carver Mindset), is a really smart guy. His book, Among Enemies: Counter-Espionage for the Business Traveler which first introduced me to him is excellent. Check out his other books, too. His Monday morning emails are always inspiring. I look forward to receiving them. Great way to start the week. The sign-up is at the bottom of this page.

I attended Carvercon 2022 at the University of South Florida and was impressed by the entire event. You can see this year’s event on-line, at no charge…

CARVERCON 2023 is coming November 1st (Day of the Dead). 
This year's theme is The CARVER Mindset: How to Think Like a Spy 

Monday, January 6, 2020

Information Security and Cryptography Seminar

Information Security and Cryptography
Fundamentals and Applications
June 8-10, 2020 in Zurich, Switzerland
Lecturers: Prof. David Basin and Prof. Ueli Maurer

This seminar provides an in-depth coverage of Information Security and Cryptography from both a conceptual and an application-oriented viewpoint. At the same time, the mathematical, algorithmic, protocol-specific, and system-oriented aspects are explained in a way understandable to a wide audience.

A full description of the seminar, including all topics covered, is available at https://www.infsec.ch/seminar2020.html. Early registration is until February 28th.

The seminar takes place in Zurich Switzerland. The lectures and all course material are in English. more

Friday, July 12, 2019

FREE: "Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cyber Security" GCHQ Exhibit in London

Historic gadgets used by British spies will be revealed for the first time later this week, as one of the country's intelligence agencies steps out the shadows to mark its centenary -- and to educate people about the risks of cyber-attacks.

The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) will hold an unprecedented exhibition at London's Science Museum, taking visitors through 100 years of secret conversations and eavesdropping...

A prototype of the Enigma cipher machine used by the Germans will be on display. But the standout exhibit at this new exhibition is the 5-UCO machine developed in 1943 to send decrypted German messages to officers in the field...

"Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cyber Security" opens to the public on Wednesday and runs until February 2020. more

FREE but must book ahead: Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD  ~Kevin

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Kieffer Ramirez Shares His Favorite Niche Investigations Resources (most are free)

SpyDialer

Cost: Free
Search people via their phone number, name, address, and/or e-mail address by using SpyDialer which contains billions of phone numbers obtained using social media and user-contributed address books.

Concerned about your information showing up on SpyDialer?!?! Check and see. If you appear there, you have the option of deleting your information... anonymously.

The 17 other resources appear here.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Spy Book Collection for Kids

Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? Ben Ripley sure hopes so—and his life may depend on it!

When Ben Ripley is recruited to the CIA’s Academy of Espionage, it’s a dream come true. But as soon as he gets on campus, Ben finds out that Spy School is way more deadly than debonair. And given his total lack of coordination and failure to grasp even the most basic spying skills, Ben begins to wonder what he’s doing here in the first place.



Luckily, through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he could actually become a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life! more

Monday, December 24, 2018

Infographic - Check Your Phone for Spies

There is a lot which can be done to check your phone for spyware. 
Everything from following instructions in a book to a full forensic inspection.

In the meantime, you can start with this...

You can find a slightly larger version here.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

A New EU Spy School... with some possible strings attached.

The defense ministers of 25 EU member countries agreed Monday on a joint EU intelligence school, along with 16 other new projects, as part of their military pact...

The establishment of a joint EU spy school would be a big step forward for the bloc’s intelligence community. Until recently, a significant deepening of intelligence cooperation in the Union was blocked by the U.K., which viewed it as unwelcome competition to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance... With Brexit approaching, London no longer stands in the way.

However, eyebrows will be raised by the proposal to have Greece lead the academy, with help from Cyprus, meaning two of the EU’s members with the closest ties to Moscow would run the project. more

Friday, October 5, 2018

Carvercon 2018 - Washington, DC - November 16

Security Management International (SMI) is pleased to host the inaugural CARVER Target Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment Convention in Washington, D.C. on Friday, November 16th, 2018 from 8am – 5pm. The event will be in Washington D.C. at the Washington Marriott Metro Center with a continental breakfast, lunch, and light fare in the afternoon.

This one-day event will cover a range of topics related to protecting critical infrastructure and key resources, utilizing the CARVER Target Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment Methodology as a foundation for discussion. The latest innovations in assessment technology, recent case studies, and best practices for identifying and minimizing security threats will all be addressed.

Featured speakers include retired CIA officer and the “Godfather of CARVER,” Leo Labaj, former Deputy Director of the FBI, William Esposito, former US National Security Advisor and Supreme Allied Commander, General James Jones, plus many more. more

Thursday, February 22, 2018

FutureWatch: Tomorrow's Spys Today

"Help young people. Help small guys. Because small guys will be big. Young people will have the seeds you bury in their minds, and when they grow up, they will change the world." 
~Jack Ma

Teens at the Library for grades 6-10: Spy Academy 
Categories: Community
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2018
Start Time: 6:30 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
End Time: 7:30 PM
Location Northeast Regional Library, 14401 Green Elm Ln, Raleigh, NC 27614
Google Calendar Yahoo! Calendar Windows Live Calendar iCal/Outlook

Put your sleuth skills to the test. Come for a night of code breaking, laser-beams, memory, and more!

For more information...

Monday, February 12, 2018

Number Stations, Spies... and The Sultans of Swing (?!?!)

Numbers stations: The 'spy radio' that anyone can hear...

For decades, people around the globe have been able to listen in to mysterious spy broadcasts from all over the world with just a radio.

Gordon Corera has been investigating the strange world of number stations. more

Friday, January 5, 2018

Counter-Espionage For Business Travelers Course

The Counter-Espionage for Business Travelers Course is a two-day seminar designed to educate those individuals in your organization who may become targets of espionage, whether knowingly or unknowingly, from an economic competitor or a hostile intelligence service.

Unfortunately, most business travelers are untrained, and thus unprepared, to handle even the most common espionage tactics, such as:
  • Elicitation
  • Bribery
  • Blackmail
  • Extortion
  • Electronic Surveillance
  • Electronic Exploitation
  • Physical Surveillance
  • Hotel/Office Covert Intrusions
A small sample of the topics covered include:
  • Economic vs. Industrial Espionage
  • Foreign Intelligence Collection Methods
  • How to Recognize Elicitation and Recruiting Techniques
  • Operational Security (OPSEC) Awareness
  • Communication Security (COMSEC) Awareness
  • Data Attack and Intrusion Methodologies
  • How to become an "Invisible Traveler"
  • Surveillance Detection Techniques
If you can't go for the course, at least go for some good books on the subject:

Among Enemies: Counter Espionage for the Business Traveler by Luke Bencie.

Staying Safe Abroad: Traveling, Working & Living in a Post-9/11 World by Edward L. Lee


Sunday, December 24, 2017

"Hey, kids. Make BIG money in your spare time. Train spies!"

The UAE is recruiting former CIA and US government officials in a bid to create a professional intelligence body modeled on leading Western agencies.

The Gulf state has long relied on Western countries to build up its intelligence infrastructure, but are now paying big bucks to hire former US intelligence employees to build its spying capabilities.

Details of the training were reviewed by Foreign Policy and show daily seminars, scavenger hunts and training exercises in four-to-six man surveillance teams.

The following weeks provide advanced training on creating undercover identities when attending embassy functions and how to groom intelligence assets...

Former CIA and US government officials are drawn to the promise of a lucrative career, with instructor salaries of up to $1,000 a day funding an extravagant lifestyle, Foreign Policy reported. more

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Now Playing - The Science Behind Spying

The Science Behind Spying is a 1960's documentary to educate viewers on the past history of the US and how spying played a role in it. more
Runtime: 50 minutes, Amazon Prime

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

SPYSCAPE in NYC is Set to Open in December

A museum dedicated to spycraft is landing soon in possibly the least inconspicuous place on Earth: midtown Manhattan.

The project, known as SPYSCAPE, is set to open in New York City this December — but details are, fittingly, under wraps. Archimedia, the creative and investment company behind the project, has acquired a number of spy artifacts and archival materials, and will use immersive storytelling to explore history’s greatest spy affairs, from the Enigma code crackers to the teenage hacker behind a recent breach of the CIA website.

The museum's website hints at interactive interrogation rooms, laser tunnels, and more. At the end of the tour, visitors will learn what kind of spy work they’re destined for — allegedly based on a proprietary “profiling system” created by the Head of Training for British Intelligence.

The museum space was designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye’s New York City-based firm, Adjaye Associates, whose many high-profile projects include Washington, D.C.’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture. more

Can't wait? Cuba's Spy Museum in Havana is open. (Optional, but recommended.) ~Kevin

Thursday, February 2, 2017

2017 Information Security and Cryptography Seminar — Fundamentals and Applications

June 12-14, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland | Lecturers: David Basin and Ueli Maurer

This seminar provides an in-depth coverage of Information Security and Cryptography from both a conceptual and application-oriented viewpoint. At the same time, the mathematical, algorithmic, protocol-specific, and system-oriented aspects are explained in a way understandable to a wide audience. This includes the foundations needed to understand the different approaches, a critical look at the state-of-the-art, and a perspective on future security technologies.

The material is presented at three different levels. At the highest level, the basic concepts are presented in detail, but abstractly (e.g., as black boxes), without mathematics. No background is required to follow at this level. At an intermediate level, the most important concrete schemes, models, algorithms, and protocols are presented as well as their applications. Here some minimal mathematical and systems background is assumed. At the deepest level, which is not required to understand the higher levels, different special topics, requiring some mathematical background, are discussed.

The lectures and all course material are in English. more

Friday, January 20, 2017

Some Days No One Wants to be a Spy

via Kickstarter.com
About this project
Let me ask you…

What if you could actually be the main character in your favorite action or spy movie?

Maybe you always wanted to be James Bond, Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible, Jason Bourne and or any other “spy”?

What if there was a way you could actually become your favorite action star in a real life-role playing experience?

I’m not talking about going with all the other “adventure companies” who charge you to…

Sit around in some garage, property or warehouse , drive around a track, “train” to be a spy, climb walls and shoot some targets. Or…

Some boring adventure where you sit around and pretend you’re in a mission, with some instructors by your side the whole time. You See…

I am talking about a totally unique experience…

Become The Action Star of Your Own Real Life-Fast Paced Spy Adventure…

Eliminating the “bad guys”…Saving the “girl”, and or Rescuing the “world” by completing a mission only you can do. This Is You…

Being Involved In Heart-Pumping Thrills… more

This has to be a joke, or a scam. Can you imagine the liability for letting customers run across airplane wings? ~Kevin

Monday, January 9, 2017

Everything You Wanted to Know About a Career in Executive Protection...

...but were afraid to ask ...or, didn't know who to ask.

The Executive Protection Institute (EPI) in New York City has an entry-level course which explains all. EPI was founded in 1978 and now incorporates the famous EP school founded by Dr. Richard W. Kobetz. He still teaches there.

The following is the course description.
-----

 

Overview
This is an informative 2-Part Webinar Series designed to introduce men and women to the professional career field of personal protection and provide an overview and refresher for experienced practitioners.

Course Content                                               Topics Covered Include
Who is qualified?
Advance Work
Protective Measures
Where is the work?
Preventive Strategies
Traits Required
When to start?
Threat Assessment
Responsibilities
What assignments can I expect?
Choreography
Operations
Why consider this career?
Risk Management
Countermeasures
How much money can I earn?
   

This Webinar series is for those who are curious or have an interest in the field of Providing Personal Protection. For individuals involved in other security careers, law enforcement, military, business, law, teaching, computers, sales, service industry and students; those who are considering another career or planning their retirement job. This is also an excellent overview and refresher for those currently involved in Executive Protection. An opportunity to learn the difference between "bodyguard" work and professional personal protection from the first school to consider Personal Protection as anew professional career and continues to teach worldwide since being founded in 1978.

This 2-Part Webinar Series will be conducted over two 3-hour evening sessions. Attendees will receive an invite to the virtual classroom after registration is confirmed.
-----
The course is being held in NYC on January 13th from 9am-5pm. It will also be given as an on-line webinar on January 18 & 19 from 7pm to 10pm (EST).

While it's not free, it's affordable, and could change your life. more

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

TSCM School: How Small Can Electronic Surveillance Bugs Be?

...or, why we listen to the wires.

Electronic surveillance devices (audio, video, data) are often referred to by their generic term — bugs.
Amplified Mic (enlarged)
Bugs may be highly specialized, as in a video only spy camera, or may incorporate audio, video and data snooping. An example of this is a device which is secreted in a vehicle, which collects GPS data, audio and video.

Most people, however, think of bugs as audio-only radio transmitters.

Often the simplest bugs are the most effective. These are just microphones attached to a length of wire.

The other end of the wire can be connected to a distant radio transmitter, voice recorder, or simply an amplifier with headphones.

Most people are surprised to learn all homes and offices come prewired, bugging-ready.

Standard telephone cables have unused pairs, and computer Ethernet cables generally only use two of the four pairs they contain. Most older office buildings also have legacy wiring which was never removed.

These "hardwired" bugs are among the most difficult to detect, which is why spies and law enforcement favor them.

Since a microphone is the main element of a hardwired bug,
I thought it might be very useful to show you how small they
can be.

These fingers are holding a real microphone, actual size.

Now you know just how much the other picture was enlarged.

Amazingly small, these microphones are mass produced by the millions.

Fortunately, most wind up in cell phones and hearing aids. However, many are sold on eBay for pennies, and then become bugs.

Not everyone knows how to find these. But, don't worry, we do.