Beware the Spies in Disguise

Unethical hackers are often hired by companies for corporate espionage: to infiltrate the IT systems of rival organizations to steal sensitive information, trade secrets, and strategic plans. The information can provide a competitive advantage or be sold for financial gain.

Although getting in touch with these hackers is comparatively easier, they have now resorted to anonymous modes of messaging through discreet texting applications that do not store metadata. Such apps use encrypted chat rooms, which makes it difficult for authorities to trace communications.

The internet is also filled with tutorials providing step-by-step guides for many kinds of unethical hacking tasks, which are often used by tech-savvy anti-social elements.

On the other hand, hacking into social media accounts threatens the individual privacy of creators and is often used for blackmail and extortion. more

This is a major problem on LinkedIn. 

Here are some of the come-ons I receive...

• It's nice to meet new people. Can we talk?
• Hello, it's a pleasure to contact you. Your resume and skills are excellent. I hope to make friends with you.
• I am Sophia, I checked your profile. I saw that your professional field is the talent we are looking for, which will be of great help to the new project I am about to start. If you are interested. You can leave your phone number and contact information, and I will arrange a time with you for a detailed conversation and make an appointment for a telephone conference. When is it convenient for you?
• After reading your resume and work experience, I found that you are a very talented person! can we talk?
• I think your field of work is great. Can we exchange ideas and learn from each other?

Spy Tip: Remember your Stranger Danger training.

Pierce Brosnan Returns: In "A Spy's Guide to Survival"

If you love the modern James Bond-style spy movies, you can thank Pierce Brosnan that Hollywood keeps making them. If it weren't for the "Remington Steele" star's turn as 007 in the beloved 1995 film "GoldenEye," the Bond franchise might have ended up dead... 

Brosnan is returning to the spy game (at least, the on-screen spy game) in a new film from the creator of Netflix's "Warrior Nun" and "Ghost Wars." In "A Spy's Guide to Survival," 

Brosnan will play a retired undercover agent who tries to keep a low profile but is brought out of his reclusive life by a strange new neighbor with secrets of his own... 

"A Spy's Guide to Survival" does not yet have an official release date. Until then, viewers can and should catch "GoldenEye," streaming on Amazon. more

Educational Opportunity: Espionage 101 for Adults

Espionage 101 for Adults

• Feb 29 at 10:40AM - Apr 25 at 11:40AM
• Room 203

  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.

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.

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 

(CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR FREE!)

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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...

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

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

"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

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

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

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

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