Most people think of espionage as something that happens in far off countries and on TV. But in today’s world, we have all become targets of intelligence agencies. Russian operatives publish disinformation campaigns which you have probably seen on social media without even realizing it. Chinese intelligence officers steal your data and use apps like TikTok to influence how you think. Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers hack into your home and work computers.
Intelligence officers once preyed upon President’s and Generals, today they prey upon all of us, because they know that regular people are the soft underbelly of our nation. We are the people who vote and ultimately hold power. We are the people who work at companies that make America powerful. We are the people who sign up to be in the military or become police officers or cybersecurity experts.
So what can we do about this? Here are five ways to see the world through the lens of espionage, to think like a spy and to protect yourself in a world where there is someone trying to hack into your phone, to steal your healthcare records, or to use social media to convince you of something.
Consider operational security like a case officer. Take a second whenever you’re posting something online or providing information to someone and consider whether it’s safe. You’d be surprised what people can figure out about you just by looking at your bedroom behind the picture. Even one second is enough to reconsider.
Triangulate like an analyst. When in doubt about something you heard, always search out and find additional pieces of media, preferably from totally different sources to compare. If Fox, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Newsmax and the South China Sea Morning Post all say the same thing, that’s a good proxy for it being real.
Add cost and friction like a counterintelligence officer. We will never be completely secure but you can deter bad people by making it harder to target you. Use encryption to transmit truly important information. Don’t use the same passwords across sites. It’s like the Club, the 1990s car protection device, yes people could still break into your car but if you signal that you are that much more protected, they may move onto the next, easier, target.
Adopt new technology like a S&T Officer. Science and Technology (S&T) Officers at the CIA invented some of the most devious spy devices ever but before they used any of it, they considered the risks. We are seeing new AI or other technologies every day. Before you jump right in, take a minute to research the downsides of the new technology and ask yourself whether the tradeoff is worth it.
Think like a spy. When you are an intelligence officer, you always need to remember that you aren’t alone, there is an adversary, and they are trying to deceive you and to spy on you as much as you are trying to spy on them. Unfortunately, there are bad people out there trying to deceive us all. That doesn’t mean living a paranoid life. But it does mean being a little cynical and having situational awareness. Always look for the signs that something seems off and consider whether someone might be looking over your shoulder.
During the Cold War, there was an unofficial set of guidelines for intelligence officers operating in a paranoid, counterintelligence- filled Soviet Union. One of these so-called Moscow Rules was: Trust your gut. That’s a pretty good rule to live by today as it was then.
Through this Substack and my book, my goal is to help the American public recognize the real threats we face. Please don’t just share this only with people who already follow intelligence issues - also share it with those who may never have thought about intelligence, whether it’s your grandmother, your nephew, or a friend who wouldn’t normally engage in this conversation.