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An absolutely fascinating piece from War on the Rocks last Friday on Chinese Private Security Companies. The article summarises the genesis of such organisations, largely geared towards offering security services to Belt and Road projects across Eurasia. "[D]espite Beijing’s reluctance, Chinese private security firms are likely to play an increasingly pivotal role in protecting Chinese interests and enhancing security capabilities in a realm where the line between private and public is seldom clear". This is perhaps compounded by ambiguity surrounding the rules and regulations for such firms when operating abroad. #china #military #security #beltandroadinitiative #privatesecurity https://lnkd.in/enFQF4D8

Funny Export Controls Friday: Guys, we have talked about this before The young airman was arrested for posting national defense information and classified documents to a gaming chat group, and potentially faces a 60-year maximum sentence for charges of improperly handling and publicly disclosing national defense secrets. Prosecutors concluded that there appears to be no evidence of espionage, and his motivation for posting the secrets to the Discord chat group was to impress people he met online with insider information, particularly details of the war in Ukraine. Key takeway: Do not threaten national/international security to impress people you meet online (or really anyone for that matter). Regardless of your military rank or affiliation with sensitive information you can and will be held criminally liable for disclosures. This is especially important for former military or those in transition, what you learned during your service time can still be classified or controlled after you leave. #militarytransition #militaryveterans #armedforces #exportcontrols #sanctionscompliance #classified #security #securitynews #discord #securitybreach Follow for more #funnyecfriday!

Düsseldorf ! Always Düsseldorf. Even in Hogans Hero’s the spies were in Düsseldorf ! Surely we could have tightened up NATO security by now ? There are bad actors active in every Western nation seeking industrial, economic, technological or military secrets. https://lnkd.in/geUyNyTf We must always act on the assumption that our networks are already penetrated, our systems compromised and our devices hacked. https://lnkd.in/gq_-yrbz Security protocols, procedures and measures are there for a reason. We must all conduct ourselves accordingly.

"The State Security Ministry said it had foiled an attempt to gather intelligence about new military equipment – including what it described as “trump card” weaponry – in an unidentified coastal city. In a post on its official WeChat page it said that it had been tipped off by a suspicious landlord who had noticed an “eerie green light” coming from a house he had rented to the foreign company." "The green light turned out to be coming from video monitoring equipment used by foreign agents to collect intelligence from a nearby naval base, which carried out “important military tasks” and was being targeted by foreign agents. The post did not give details such as when and where the alleged incident happened or which country had sent the spies. It also did not say if any arrests had been made." If the 'spies' were caught in the act, then by all means prosecute them. They were after all spies, and getting caught by your landlord is not the stuff where legends are made of. So constant vigilance about tenants should be the norm. And this is not an isolated case - in the US, people reporting 'suspicious' people over their O-ring cameras (these turn out to be 'undesirable' not criminal) is a thing. But the problem is not spies vs spies but false positives (these will mostly be undesirable behaviour more than espionage - and false negatives (that means spies that should have been caught but got away). Why is that a problem, because chasing down false positives is a drain on resources. "But it said that the landlord had received a “handsome reward” for his “significant contribution” adding that China’s security would have been “severely harmed” if the information collected by the spies had been sent overseas."" Being picky here. How do they know that the info has NOT been sent overseas already? Just because it is still in the hard-drive does not mean that it was not transmitted?

Following allegations of identity leaks involving covert military agents, South Korean lawmakers have proposed a series of bipartisan bills to expand legal definitions of foreign espionage. The current laws only punish espionage linked to enemy countries, specifically North Korea, leaving individuals from nations like China unaccountable. These legislative moves were prompted by claims that a Defense Intelligence Command official provided sensitive military information to Chinese hackers associated with North Korea, including the identities of South Korean agents abroad. Cho Tae-yong, head of the National Intelligence Service, has called for a South Korean version of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act to enhance transparency regarding foreign agents in the country. Previous efforts for similar legislation have stalled. Legislative leaders emphasize the need for swift action on the bills to prevent future breaches. Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party of Korea has criticized the Yoon Suk Yeol administration for a national security failure linked to the leak and has called for a comprehensive investigation. #AsiaRisk #GeopoliticalConflictandDisputes #SouthKorea Follow us for daily updates on risk and operations in Asia! https://lnkd.in/gjfJDTnq

An Australian soldier, Kira Korolev, and her husband Igor Korolev, both originally from Russia but now Australian citizens, have been arrested and charged with espionage. This case marks the first use of Australia's stringent foreign interference laws, introduced in 2018, to prosecute for espionage. The couple allegedly attempted to pass sensitive Australian Defence Force (ADF) material to Moscow, but Australian authorities have stated that there has been "no significant compromise" of military secrets. The Korolevs appeared in a Brisbane court facing charges that could lead to up to 15 years in prison if they are convicted. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw and the head of Australia's spy agency, Mike Burgess, provided details about the investigation but remained reserved about the specifics of the materials involved or how the couple was initially suspected. Kira Korolev, who worked as an information systems technician in the army, reportedly used her security clearance to obtain sensitive information, which she then instructed her husband to send to Russian contacts. This arrest underlines ongoing global espionage threats and Australia's proactive stance on national security, with assurances from Australian officials that the country remains vigilant against such activities. Source: BBC, AP, Al Jazeera So what From the statement released by authorities, it appears possible that she was being observed during the build-up to the attempt. Though this event raises many questions, such as how she got a high-level security clearance, it is likely a good way for FVEY intelligence to see how Russian intelligence is currently running its sources. All in all, while not a great news headline, it is likely that good counterintelligence practices limited any damage and enabled a good level of collection against Russian intelligence.    Follow us to join the intelligence community! #australia #russia #spying #adf #espionage 

Clearest examples of cyberattacks with physical effects comparable to those of traditional warfare: - 2015 and 2016 attacks on Ukraine’s power grid - NotPetya cyberattack - Third attempt to sabotage Ukraine’s power grid - Cyberattack on the Viasat satellite modem network used by Ukraine’s military, leading to outages of satellite modems across Europe Given war exclusions applying to some cyber insurance policies, interesting to see impact of classifications of acts of cyberwar upon coverage - Barry Greene Lessie Longstreet Gabriel Broos Johan P. Lindström #cyberwarfare #internationalcriminalcourt #NotPetya #Sandworm #cyberinsurance #cyberattack

Russia-born couple arrested in Australia on espionage charges. Key takeaways: 1. The arrest of an Australian Army private and her husband for alleged espionage exposes potential vulnerabilities in Australia's defense systems, highlighting the risks of insider threats in the national security system. 2. If the couple indeed acted as Russian agents, the case underscores Russia's suspected use of its diaspora for espionage, which could strain diplomatic relations and fuel security concerns, especially following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 3. The case may prompt tighter security measures within Australia's Defense Force and reevaluation of access to sensitive information, as successful charges could potentially result in penalties of up to life imprisonment, reflecting the severe repercussions of espionage activities. Learn more by visiting The Record from Recorded Future News: https://lnkd.in/e_Mbgg33

Russian student sentenced to 5 years for collecting sensitive military data for Ukraine’s security services. Key Takeaways: 1. A Russian student was sentenced to five years for passing Russian troop locations to Ukraine's security service (SBU) in exchange for payment. 2. The student, who fully admitted his guilt, collected sensitive information online while residing in Birobidzhan, Russia. 3. Cases of individuals passing military information for rewards are common in both Russia and Ukraine, with similar incidents resulting in severe penalties for those involved.

The extent and variety of crimes against Russia, its soldiers and its citizens by the nato warmongers is truly astonishing. I think the risk humanity faces at the moment is that the Russian government is running out of excuses for behaving with any level of civility towards the West. Exactly why they ve chosen to take their fight to what they themselves consider a brotherly people is difficult to comprehend but there is ample evidence that things may get a little more diversified in terms of who may get hit in the future and by what means. These revelations come from the New York Times and ARE NOT Russian propaganda but actual atrocities perpetrated by nato mercenaries in Ukraine. It has been our contention for the better part of the past 16 years and it remains so to this day that this ambition to extend nato tu Russia s borders is a path to some very serious problems and frankly this whole thing becomes worse and worse everyday. Brighter minds and cooler heads will have to occupy western governments buildings soon or I am afraid we are facing risks far bigger than at the very peak of the Cold War.