Counterintelligence for Corporate Environments, Volume I

How to Protect Information and Business Integrity in the Modern World

Dylan van Genderen

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781947441651
• eBook ISBN:
  9781947441668
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Law
• Index: Business

Counterintelligence for Corporate Environments, Volume I provides the reader with unique, comprehensive, and efficient methodologies that will change and improve corporate security and operational models to the highest degree possible. Through the extensive and sophisticated discipline of counterintelligence, readers will learn the vital importance of intelligence to the survival, efficiency, and well-being of any organization as well as a whole new approach to the protection of business intelligence and assets. Volume two discusses topics and illustrates strategies and procedures that have never before been used in the corporate field. Inspired by the concepts, strategies, and tactics that have been used by intelligence communities and specialized military forces for decades, this book aims to improve and safeguard every component of a corporate environment through the adaptation and modification of the same strategies employed by these specialized entities. Through this book, managers, security officers, consultants, and entire corporate environments will have the knowledge and skills necessary in order to change the entire dynamic of security applications in the present day and will be able to integrate advanced and highly efficient counterintelligence models in order to combat the extensive modern threat landscape.

CHAPTER 1

The Definition and History of Counterintelligence

In this chapter, we will take a look at the definition and history of counterintelligence. I will illustrate the various applications of counterintelligence throughout history to give you a better understanding of where many of the strategies and tactics in this book originated.

I will also discuss the proper definition of intelligence and how it is far more comprehensive than many people realize.

Although counterintelligence is an aspect of security that many students will interpret as relatively modern, it is important to note that just as with many other security topics and aspects its actual foundations and applications can pretty much be traced back to the dawn of human civilization.

I believe history to be a great reference point in order to enhance counterintelligence and security methodologies in the present day and gain an understanding of how human instincts and logic intertwine with security measures and strategies.

Although counterintelligence was primarily used by military units and intelligence agencies throughout the 20th century, you will find out that it always had a close relationship with the security industry and the protection of intelligence of corporate environments.

By the end of this chapter you will be able to understand and explain the following:

• The definition of intelligence
• The definition of counterintelligence
• The origins of counterintelligence
• Historical applications of counterintelligence
• The social and professional value of protecting intelligence
• The development of counterintelligence from historical to modern times
• Commonalities between historical strategies and modern-day applications.

The Definition of Intelligence

In recent times the topics of cybersecurity and information protection are trendier and more valuable than ever before. It is not uncommon for corporations and organizations to mention cybersecurity if you ask them what they do to protect their intelligence.

However, intelligence is so much more than mere passwords, cyber data, software systems, or digital records. Intelligence as a term was used first and foremost by military forces around the globe. In recent times it is also applied to the corporate field of the twenty-first century. The military perceives intelligence as any piece of valuable information that can provide a basic or an advanced insight, understanding, and knowledge about the enemy’s identity, nature, infrastructure, organization, background, motives, personnel, training, and operational strategies. For businesses, organizations, and corporations this intelligence can mean any piece of valuable information that can provide third parties with a basic or an advanced insight, understanding, and knowledge about the entire nature and operational mechanisms of a business or any component that is vital to the operational capacity and efficiency of the company.

As you can see, this far exceeds the mere limits of the digital realm. Cyber attacks are just one of the countless tools that criminals, competitors, terrorists, and other hostile third parties can use to gather intelligence about a corporation and use this intelligence to damage its assets and reputation. Other methods such as social engineering, physical infiltration, economic espionage, blackmailing, and personal surveillance can also be used to gain a large amount of intelligence about a company, its structure, and its employees.

Just like military units, businesses and corporations gather intelligence on a continuous basis even if they’re not fully aware of it. Think about all the information a business gathers in order to gain a proper insight into a certain market or to find out who its competitors are and where they’re based. In many ways you can say that the efficiency of both military and corporate efforts is based on timely, detailed, and accurate intelligence.

However, just as you will gather intelligence in order to achieve corporate goals and objectives, so too will the dedicated criminals, competitors, and terrorists of the modern world in order to increase the efficiency and success rate of their subversive efforts targeted at damaging infrastructure.

The Definition of Counterintelligence

Counterintelligence is originally a military strategy in order to protect information from the enemy. That being said, it can easily be translated to the corporate environments of the modern world given the perception that intelligence is a vital component of both military and corporate efficiency and at the same time their vulnerability.

In military fields, counterintelligence is often defined as any strategy, tactic, or measure that is put in place to protect information that can act as valuable intelligence for the enemy in order to maintain a strategic and operational edge in all military activities and efforts.

For businesses, it can mean any strategy, tactic, or measure that is put in place to protect information in order to maintain business authenticity, competitive edge, and operational continuity under safe and secure conditions.

This means that counterintelligence exceeds the limits of cybersecurity alone and instead has the potential to act as a foundation for a complete and efficient overall security strategy based on the idea that authenticity, confidentiality, and security are the most vital values for any business to uphold.

The Origins of Counterintelligence

Counterintelligence, just like many other aspects and elements of security, has been applied since the beginning of civilization and can be traced back to the first conflicts of human tribes and communities in the early Sumerian period.

Although the official terminology of counterintelligence wasn’t used until thousands of years later, it must be noted that protective and offensive efforts were applied by early civilizations in order to hide intentions and valuable infrastructure from hostile parties. Although these efforts were without doubt very basic and far less significant than other developments and applications of counterintelligence over the years, I believe it is important to understand human nature in regard to secrecy, authenticity, and the protection of valuable assets and information. If we examine ancient civilizations and the strategies and tactics they relied upon in order to protect themselves and their way of life, we will come to the conclusion that many concepts and principles are very similar to the ones we rely upon today.

As time went by and civilization began to flourish, there emerged new superpowers and prominent actors such as the Achaemenid Empire in which intelligence activities and assassination plots were all too common. This led to a veil of secrecy surrounding the council of Persian kings and efforts to limit direct interpersonal communication between high-ranking figures within the Achaemenid Council.

Another good example of counterintelligence in ancient times is the Greek city-state Sparta.

The Spartans were known at that time to be the most efficient and advanced military force the world had yet seen, and they demonstrated a certain level of military efficiency unrivaled by any in the ancient world. During their heyday, which lasted approximately from 668 BC to 371 BC, they were engaged in constant struggle and conflict with the so-called helots, the original natives of Messenia who were conquered and enslaved by their Spartan overlords. Spartan boys were trained to infiltrate helot communities and determine which helots were most likely to rebel. The Spartans even had their own special police unit called the crypteia, whose sole purpose was to engage and monitor the helot population.

As a result of this, helots would often take countermeasures such as holding secret meetings at night in order to plan revolts and attacks against their Spartan overlords.

In many ways you can say that the Spartans and helots were constantly involved in a cold war of espionage, subversion, and counterintelligence.

The Roman Empire also brought a host of intelligence and security challenges with it. During the long life span of Roman authority, the empire was almost constantly threatened by the northern barbaric tribes as well as small factions of Jewish rebels who challenged Roman rule in ancient Palestine. Also, struggles within Rome presented their own set of unique challenges and security threats. It was because of this instability that the Romans installed what many experts regard as the first security force in history—the Praetorian guards. These units acted as a secret police and were also tasked with protecting the emperor. The protection of plans and strategies, as well as infiltration and intelligence gathering, was part of their day-to-day duties.

In the Medieval period we can observe another phenomenon that has had a huge impact on the efficiency of hostile intelligence activities: The building of large castles and fortified cities and fortresses with high walls, small windows, and heavily guarded gates served as an excellent countermeasure to infiltration and intelligence gathering attempts.

These tactics are still employed by military forces in war zones—where military compounds and command centers are protected by large concrete walls, fences, and checkpoints—and serve as a beautiful reminder and modification of the ingenious design of Medieval architecture.

The first example of what can be called modern counterintelligence can be traced back to the second half of the nineteenth century. Over the course of this period there was a huge increase in espionage and intelligence activities among European nations and superpowers such as the British and Russian Empires, which were engaged in massive expansion efforts in order to increase their sphere of influence. During this period there was considerable diplomatic and political tension between the British and Russian Empires. Both parties showed a keen interest in maintaining and spreading their influence over Central Asia.

The British Empire grew anxious of Russia’s expansion policy and was fearful that the Russian Empire would set its eyes on India, which at that time was a British colony.

Although the British Empire initiated multiple counterintelligence efforts to prepare its military forces for hostile intelligence and expansion activities, the Russians already had their own secret police force—the Okhrana. While the force’s primary objectives were preventing political violence and assassinations as well as maintaining Russian political propaganda and doctrine by neutralizing left-wing revolutionaries and activists, it was also tasked with counterintelligence operations and counterespionage.

The force is believed to have relied extensively on covert operations and undercover agents.

In many ways this secret police force can be regarded as the ancestor of the Committee for State Security (KGB) and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB).

Slowly but steadily more and more nations in Europe started to put a great emphasis on intelligence activities and counterintelligence efforts. However, it was Great Britain that was the first to create its own independent counterintelligence agency—the Secret Service Bureau in 1909. Many experts regard this agency as the first legitimate European counterintelligence unit. It could be argued though that the Special Irish Branch, formed in 1883 to combat Irish Republican Army (IRA) operations, influence, and infrastructure, was already engaged in intelligence and counterintelligence activities. It was in 1910 that the foundations of modern British intelligence infrastructure were finally laid as the Secret Service Bureau was split into a domestic and a foreign agency, very similar to the modern MI5 and MI6.

Intelligence became increasingly relied upon as tensions in the world started to grow, culminating in two of the most brutal armed conflicts in history—World War I and World War II. During the final years of World War II, the foundation and application of so-called special operations forces started a whole new chapter in the history of counterintelligence. Units such as the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the notorious Special Air Service (SAS) were tasked with a large variety of intelligence and counterintelligence activities such as reconnaissance, espionage, counterespionage, intelligence gathering, subversion, and sabotage and were instrumental in the victory of the Allies against Nazi Germany.

Over the course of the next 50 years intelligence and counterintelligence activities laid the foundation of the new world order. For decades the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in an exhausting cold war that was predominantly fought on the intelligence field. Intelligence and counterintelligence agencies as well as a large variety of special forces units became increasingly optimized and the spearpoint of the world’s most powerful nations. After the fall of the Soviet Union many people believed that covert operations and intelligence efforts would witness a decline.

However, with the rise of global terrorism and the spread of jihadism, intelligence and counterintelligence efforts are required now more than ever before.

Conclusion

Although counterintelligence was given an official place in military strategy in the late nineteenth century, we can see that it’s origin and applications run much deeper. As long as there has been civilization, there have been strategies, tactics, and measures to disrupt intelligence activities, military planning, and hostile operations in order to safeguard nations, military forces, and populations.

By looking at the past we can better assess the present and predict the future. With the rise of global terrorism and the spread of jihadism, military forces, governments, populations, and businesses need to rely on counterintelligence more than ever before in order to protect themselves against the threats of the twenty-first century.

Counterintelligence is more than just cybersecurity. It is a unique and flexible concept with the objectives of protecting authenticity and confidentiality and ensuring safety so military forces, governments, and businesses can perform their duties with the highest level of security and efficiency.

CHAPTER 2

The Modern Intelligence Threat Landscape

The modern intelligence threat landscape is continuously moving and developing. With increasingly new and sophisticated threats such as state of the art hacking software, advanced technical surveillance systems and highly trained covert operatives coming from hostile nations, criminal networks, terrorist organizations, and competitors, businesses and organizations worldwide face a constant danger to their identity, reputation, assets, and trade secrets.

This chapter will illustrate a detailed and advanced risk profile for businesses in the present day by defining the very essence of successful business operations and management as well as the most common, sophisticated, and damaging threats businesses face.

You will also learn to distinguish various threat categories and the criminal, terrorist, or political networks associated with them in order to properly profile relevant threats to modern-day corporate environments.

By the end of this chapter you will be able to understand and explain the following...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 The Definition and History of Counterintelligence
• Chapter 2 The Modern Intelligence Threat Landscape
• Chapter 3 The Benefits of Counterintelligence for Corporate Environments
• Chapter 4 Counterintelligence Screening and Interviewing
• Chapter 5 Security Awareness and Employee Resilience
• About the Author
• Index