Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #counterintelligence
Most recents (10)
I welcome Kristinn #Hrafnsson’s (@khrafnsson) appointment as @WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief. The @USAgov’s campaign of dezinfomatsia, lawfare, & extortionate tactics — as well as the @govUK’s flagrant violations of international #HumanRights law — will clearly not impede WL’s work.
… #Hrafnsson’s appointment sends a CLEAR SIGNAL to @TheJusticeDept: #WikiLeaks (& its fans) won’t back down, nor will WL’s mission be nullified by @CPSUK continuing to hold #Assange hostage. These terrorist tactics are beyond the scope of acceptable state behavior. #FreeAssange.
… moreover, this dumb & counterproductive campaign against #WikiLeaks — for daring to expose widespread, systemic corruption in the #DNC, inc. flagrant campaign finance violations — sets an anti-press precedent when we should be pressing #China on #FreeSpeech & #PressFreedoms.
In furtherance of the #counterintelligence discussion around the GRU and its competency, I want to address some recent reporting and analysis. Two articles - and one shared question - come to mind. /1
The 1st article takes the kind of argument I've made - the GRU has been sloppy resulting even successes generating some effects one would associate with qualified failures - and runs with it to the extreme. /2 bloomberg.com/view/articles/…
I have done my best to put as much nuance into my threads on this. I don't think so much that the GRU is incompetent (they have achieved numerous significant mission objectives) as that their tradecraft and OPSEC leaves much to desired, with that likely hurting them w/ Putin. /3
In today's edition of "The GRU don't need no stinkin' tradecraft", which is becoming a #counterintelligence tradition, we have the UK charging of the 2 GRU officers who carried out the Skripal attack. Here's the timeline assembled by Scotland Yard. /1 news.met.police.uk/news/counter-t…
This thread by @BBCDomC lays out the movements and footage described the Met in a very digestible thread. I highly recommend taking a look at it for reference alongside the Met's dry recitation of same. /2
The amount of detail and evidence the Met amassed about these officers' (Petrov & Boshirov) movements recalls the exposure of the Mossad operation that killed Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai. This feels very much like that, which should embarrass the GRU. /3 spiegel.de/international/…
#ActiveMeasures by Russian intelligence services are the tactical/operational component of Strategic Deception.
What is Strategic Deception?
It is not only deceiving an adversary at strategic level, but fundamentally altering how the adversary sees/thinks/acts.
#TrumpRussia
What is Strategic Deception?
It is not only deceiving an adversary at strategic level, but fundamentally altering how the adversary sees/thinks/acts.
#TrumpRussia
The #counterintelligence challenge lies in not just the identification of penetrations, breaches, operations, and preventing/stopping them, but in understanding their purpose, manipulating them (not thru traditional law enforcement), and turning them back on the adversary.
A #counterintelligence thread in the sense that I'm analyzing a foreign intelligence situation: I've been reading some very interesting analyses on the #Zakharchenko assassination and it's gotten me thinking about how this incident may or may not relate to FSB's role in Donbas /1
The first analysis I found useful was from @MarkGaleotti, and it emphasizes that it is doubtful that #Zakharchenko's death is move the situation towards peace. He mentions Dmitry Trapeznikov and Denis Pushilin as possible successors. /2
themoscowtimes.com/articles/war-p…
themoscowtimes.com/articles/war-p…
This article mentioned the thread I'm going to be pulling on here: the fact that #Zakharchenko and Alexander Timofeev, Z's tax minister sidekick who was injured in the blast, orchestrated the takeover of major illegal economies in Donbas - putting targets on their backs. /3
Active measures pivot: Microsoft indicates that the APT28/GRU has tried to spoof the websites of conservative think tanks known for advocating democracy promotion, examining corruption, and/or criticism of Trump. My #counterintelligence commentary /1
nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/…
nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/…
NYT has this right "The shift to attacking conservative think tanks underscores the Russian intelligence agency’s goals: to disrupt any institutions challenging Moscow and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia." Russia doesn't care about our partisanship except to exploit it. /2
GRU needs to be doing something different to earn favor in the Kremlin right now. I recently explored how they are definitely not on Putin's good side these days (see included thread), and while this isn't "new" it is still a change of tact. /3
So I tried to make dankness while the sun shown about the newest sanctions that are going to hit Russia (delayed as they might be), but I'd like to take a moment to seriously address just how bad this all is for the GRU. #counterintelligence /1 nytimes.com/2018/08/09/wor…
The GRU's poor OPSEC has been a consistent driver among the naming-&-shaming and sanctions against Russia lately. Going all the way back to 2014, GRU - which has never been the most OPSEC conscious outfit - has been in the spotlight as Russia's primary meddling instrument. /2
Let's leave aside the ~2014 stuff about Crimea and Donbas because I have other work to do and focus on the more recent stuff. First, the identification of GRU as behind the Novichok attack in the UK was a double-edged sword for them. On one hand, it creates fear (Putin likey) /3
The #FBI Ten #MostWanted Fugitives Program launched in 1950 to bring national attention to dangerous criminals who have avoided capture. To date, 519 fugitives have appeared on the list. #FBI110 fbi.gov/wanted #FugitiveFriday
In 1950 British agents arrested Soviet spy Klaus Fuchs after FBI agents helped make counterintelligence use of telegrams decrypted & decoded by Army experts. The work, later code named Venona, was key to advancing #FBI #counterintelligence program. #FBI110 fbi.gov/history/histor…
In 1951, 4 subjects – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, David Greenglass and Morton Sobell – were each convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in what was dubbed at the time as the “Trial of the Century.” #FBI110 fbi.gov/history/famous… 
1/ #OTD IN COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY HISTORY – On July 9, 2010 -- after a multi-year investigation by the FBI and other elements of the US Intelligence Community -- ten deep-cover Russian “illegals” (operatives of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)) were...
2/ exchanged in Vienna, Austria, for four individuals who had been jailed in Russia for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies. The day before, the Russian illegals pleaded guilty in federal court in NYC to conspiring to serve as Russian agents in a case that...
3/ served as a chilling reminder that espionage on U.S. soil did not disappear with the end of the Cold War. The Russian govt. spent significant funds and many years training and deploying these “SVR illegals” to establish a presence in the U.S. and develop sources of info. ...
Not weird at all..
This is textbook execution of a PM between asset and handler
Since there is no known comm barrier, no need for c/o to bring in a linguist
Oh there will be plenty of record, as venue will be 'prepped' well in advance.
This is textbook execution of a PM between asset and handler
Since there is no known comm barrier, no need for c/o to bring in a linguist
Oh there will be plenty of record, as venue will be 'prepped' well in advance.
You'd have to be incredibly stupid and or desperate to walk into that room alone.
Putin is a Counterintelligence Agent from the Cold War era how also happens to be leader of our nation's primary geopolitical rival..Trump on the other hand is a mental midget who can easily be manipulated..who also worships Putin..'alone time" can be disastrous to the US!!!
