Facebook

Spotlight | Europe, Israel, United States
Meta threat report puts OSINT specialists under the spotlight

The US technology giant's December threat report highlights several open source intelligence (OSINT) firms, from Social Links to Cyberglobes and Avalanche, marking a shift in the relatively benevolent view of the practice observers have taken until now.

Qatar, UAE, United States
Hardball player Bullpen Strategy Group to launch new front for Abu Dhabi in information war against Doha

Bullpen, a subcontractor for Akin Gump, is netting $32,500 monthly for its role as a footsoldier in the lobbying wars between the two long-feuding Gulf states.

United States
Tech giants' woes provide openings for security and intelligence firms

Budgetary cuts are prompting the tech 'big five', collectively known as GAFAM, to externalise intelligence, moderation and counter-disinformation to external providers. A number of firms are now marketing these services.

Russia, Ukraine
War in Ukraine puts Russia's Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch community under pressure

European branches of the Orthodox Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch religious community are very actively engaged in Ukraine, putting the movement's Russian branch in a tight spot with the Kremlin.

United States
Alaco investigator retained to assist plaintiff seeking damages for alleged sexual assault by fleeing Jordanian diplomat

Commissioned by an alleged victim of a Jordanian diplomat, the investigations firm succeeded in finding contact information from the defendant, who had proved difficult to track down.

The Corporate Intelligence Village Voice
Spottiswoode goes to FTI, Exiger hires ex-BACB, Sanction Scanner in US and Chiron head writes book

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: each week, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community. This week, we go to New York, London, Paris and Istanbul.

LondonJocelyn Spottiswoode poached by FTI.

New York/LondonExiger Diligence hires AML expert Saba Ahmad.

Washington/IstanbulTurkish Sanction Scanner to screen potential sanctioned persons from US.

ParisHead of security firm Chiron publishes autobiography on former life as paratrooper.

Ukraine
Kyiv tries to stop Moscow benefiting from indirect IT support from the GAFAM

Although there are wide-ranging restrictions on the sale of military equipment and IT systems to Russia, some software and services are not covered by the sanctions. A group of experts is looking to remedy the situation.

European Union, Israel
ActiveFence's ex-Unit 8200 counter-disinformation specialists eye EU contracts

Last week in Brussels, Israeli startup ActiveFence tried to get closer to the European External Action Service's East StratCom Task Force. The latter's head, Lutz Gülllner, is looking to turn it into a full-fledged European counter-disinformation agency.

United Kingdom
Intqual-pro, intelligence trainer for spies, investigators and private sector employees

Intqual-pro, a company offering training in intelligence techniques, cyber risks and information management, has won a new contract with the British authorities, with the Information Commissioner's Office.

United States
Grist Mill Exchange trades in commercially sourced intelligence for the CIA

The consultancy founded by several ex-CIA officers wants to help intelligence agencies solve a challenge: how to tap into commercially sourced data. Already being seen in satellite imagery, this practice is now turning to the collection of Internet user browsing datasets.

Israel, Serbia, Sweden
East and West battle for Serbia's mass surveillance software market

The Serbian government is engaged in a delicate balancing act, as it tries to combine state-of-the-art Swedish and American software systems with its already installed Chinese biometric surveillance systems. It is looking for Western technical support and financing to help it do this.

Spotlight | France, Israel, United States
Virtual HUMINT specialists test new avenues for their avatars

Though increasingly sought after by government intelligence services, virtual human intelligence tools have reached a developmental dead-end. Social media sites have been tracking down avatars responsible for online influence campaigns.

France
French military gets offensive again in its information warfare against Russia

The French government is once more deploying its inter-force environmental actions centre's (CIAE) digital operations group (GON) to conduct online influence operations against Russia.

Spotlight | Greece, India, Israel
Interception specialists Intellexa and Cleartrail use their Signal capabilities as a sales argument

Although Whatsapp has long been the main target of the cyber-infiltration specialists, secure communications app Signal is now getting increasing attention from companies in the sector.

Spotlight | France, United States
Intelligence world heads into the metaverse

With a growing number of companies offering virtual-world simulation technology, Western armies and intelligence services are starting to get in on the game, branching out into the "metaverse" to optimise their operations and plan for a future where information will be gathered in this alternate space.

Spotlight | Europe, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Under pressure from Kyiv and Washington, Moscow rows hard to keep its industries afloat

Besides their political function, Western sanctions against Moscow have taken on high stakes for security - both for NATO analysts seeking to assess the potential resilience of Russia's strategic industries and for Ukraine, which is keeping a close eye on Russia's emerging alternative trade routes.