Pop quiz: What do you think is greater, the number of executive protection agents who have been fired because their client got killed? Or the number that got fired because a client’s wife/manager/trusted advisor straight-up didn’t like them? I think anyone who has been around the industry longer than five minutes probably knows the answer to that question.
The Threat Posed by Fixated Individuals
The woman, who claimed she was engaged to Prince Andrew managed to persuade the security officers at the Royal Lodge to pay for her taxi fare. She then spent 20 minutes wandering around the Royal gardens before entering the home of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, where she was finally detained, and subsequently sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
OSINT ON-THE-GO
We live in a fast-moving world. Technology is evolving faster than we are. Is all the technology around us causing us to think that time is ticking faster?
Time does indeed seem to have become more precious nowadays. And many people often do say, “I can’t find the time to do it, the days are just passing too fast.”
But think back to not so long ago, especially us “oldies” on the circuit…
Weaponising Social Media
The psychology behind the misinformation was mostly covered last time, so we’re going to look more at the mechanics that enable them. We’ll take a look at fake social media accounts, botnets, and automated amplification to exploit social media algorithms.
Keeping Your Edge: Building a Solid Foundation
Longevity, consistency and remaining relevant are some primary goals of all protectors. These factors are important when establishing a new contract and providing services for a new client. But what is equally important is the mindset that goes into those first days and weeks on the assignment. As such, I wanted to get the personal perspective of Vantrell Wilson, a close protection agent who I have trained with and worked alongside of for years now.
Venezuelan Gold-Trafficking
The gold business in general is a haven for scammers, money launderers, traffickers, criminals and terrorists. It is an area rife for the services of a protection specialist since the coupling of unsuspecting investors, with sometimes, greedy buyers can lead to a lot of trouble and loss of money, property, and even lives.
ISIS Chief Killed by Turkish Forces in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group, Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi, was killed by Turkish forces during an operation in Syria.
National Guardsman Charged Over Classified Documents Leak
A 21-year-old Air National Guardsman, Jack Teixeira, has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly leaking highly classified documents, including maps, intelligence updates, and assessments of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Human Intelligence Could You Be The Next Target?
When you step into a new role where you have routine access to classified information, have access to large amounts of cash or other assets/valuables, or deal with sensitive business information, you may become the target of human intelligence or HUMINT. In light of this, this article covers the different aspects of the threat of human intelligence to keep in mind from the point of view of a corporate setting or government contract.
In the Midst of Chaos
By now many of you have seen the photos and videos of the protestors turned rioters storming the US Capitol on the day of the Congressional Certification.
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence is the information we obtain on a target or threat in order to locate them, gain information on their operations and to predict their future actions. Accurate intelligence is essential not only in security and counter-insurgency operations but also in the corporate world where companies need to know what their competitors are developing and planning.
Crisis Management and Social Media
Effective crisis management invariably involves social media, whether the organization is a large multi-national or a small hometown business. When a crisis erupts, the effective use of social media should be seen as a key priority to counteract the crisis.
Industry News – At A Glance
We cast our eye over the main stories impacting the security industry. Here’s what’s appeared on the radar since the last issue. Including, attack in Afghanistan, Boko Haram Leader dead, severed heads in Mexico and Kevin Durant’s Bodyguard charged.
Cyber Security and Humans
Over 2020 cyber security and technology have only soared in terms of profile and importance, with talk about threats to remote working from technology, difficulties, and some dramatic outages. Logistics, enabled largely by technology, have been essential to keep things moving and give people support and normality.
Hiding from OSINT
It often comes as a surprise just how much is available and the nefarious uses it can be put to. OSINT can be applied towards defensive purposes, but this article will only be covering the malicious purposes (i.e. how a bad guy might get access to your client’s sensitive information and data).
One of the biggest challenges of OSINT is not merely recognising it as a threat, but encouraging the behavioural change needed to protect against it widely enough. It is not simply enough for a principal to stop posting Instagram pictures of their travels in order to hide them. Their colleagues, friends, family, and employees also need to be aware and cautious with information which could be misused.
Industry News December 2020
We cast our eye over the main stories impacting the security industry. Here’s what’s appeared on the radar since the last issue.
Event Review – Learning and Development Forum
The Circuit Magazine held a Virtual Learning and Development Forum on September 4, 2020, that was attended by Executive Protection specialists and experts from around the globe, including the UK, US, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and West Africa.
Global Situation Report October, 2020
Having informed insight in today’s increasingly complex international environment is more important than ever. That’s why we’ve partnered with Stratfor, the worlds leading geopolitical intelligence platform, to bring readers regular analysis and accurate forecasting of global trends from someone you can trust.
US Presidential Security Support
One memorable occasion was the visit by President George W. Bush to Manila, the Philippines, in October 2003, when he on his way to Thailand, where he was to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. This visit served as a great example of how much of an asset you can be for the protective elements if you know and apply protective operations principles.
Protecting the Principal in a Pandemic
From an operational perspective, CPs need to go back to fundamentals and apply the golden rules of protection planning and risk assessments to medical scenarios. For instance, from a strategy perspective, many HNW bought ventilators only to later discover that they would never be delivered due to shortage. So, it’s important to think how do we improve our planning and strategy from the outset to account for the unexpected? Scenarios and risks should be assessed as always in a well thought out threat matrix.
