Circuit Magazine

For Security & Protection Specialists

Social Media

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.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share54
54 Shares

Death Of The Solo Specialist

It’s not unusual for practitioners of our craft to find themselves operating as a “solo specialists” alongside their respective clients. The question is, are these days slowly coming to an end? If they are, how will we be able to convey this to our clients?

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share5
5 Shares

At the Point of Crisis

By now many of you have seen the recent photo of the Dallas shooter outside of the Federal Building. Ask yourself if this was your Office, School, or House of Worship how prepared would your company or institution be to recognize the signs of trouble as those Federal Officers did and deny access and ultimately defeat the shooter?

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share9
9 Shares

Executive Protection Realities of the Industry and the Ugly Truth

Many newcomers in the protection business have a completely different idea of what the profession is, based on what they have heard or what Hollywood tells them it is. This lack of “truth” either leaves them disappointed or leaves them vulnerable to making mistakes while on duty.

It is common in our industry to see many of our colleagues posting pictures on the internet social media sites of “selfies” taken in first-class airline seats or the client’s private jet. More selfies show them with their feet up on a suitcase claiming ‘’another flight”, or posting from 5 and 6-star hotel rooms, or fine-dining restaurants, or next to a limousine parked in front of a private jet.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share32
32 Shares

Find Your Own Lane

Before you build your company’s or personal brand lets first take a moment to reconcile what branding is and how it differs from marketing.  Branding is the process involved in creating a unique name and/or image for a product or service in the mind of the consumer.  The goal of “Branding” is to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.  What differentiated message have you created in the mind of your desired clientele?

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share3
3 Shares

Executive Protection Fail – Jeff Bezos

The tabloid said it had evidence that Bezos has been “whisking his mistress off to exotic destinations on his $65 million private jet.

“Jeff Bezos is the founder of the online retailer Amazon and one of the richest people in the world. He has just made public that he will be getting divorced from his wife of 25 years after an extra marital affair was made public, that’s his personal business… The divorce could cost him 50% of his wealth including his stocks in Amazon, which could lead to control issues for the company and shareholders, this is company business… Again, someone’s personal life has gotten them and their company into big trouble!

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share66
66 Shares

Fit for Purpose – More than just a workout

The “workout” is only a part of the overall Physical Fitness picture. Give or take 8 hours a day for sleeping, that leaves 16 waking hours that require physical activity. I use the word “require” because if we want to stay active for the long game, then it really isn’t an option and it must be a priority. This is where I feel the missing link is for most people, a basic understanding of true Physical Fitness and how to apply it to everyday living without just viewing it as a workout period. 

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Stalkers and Super Fans – When Does Being A Fan Go Too Far?

Have you ever noticed how we throw around words nonchalantly, without a giving a second thought as to their perceived meaning? 

How many of us use the word “fan” on a daily basis, possibly without realizing that the word is derived from the word “fanatic”.  Webster’s Dictionary defines a fanatic as a person who is extremely enthusiastic about, and devoted to, some interest or activity.  In the entertainment world, fans are a necessity, because if there are no fans, there is no one to buy the tickets, the music, the books, movies, or the merchandise. In essence, without fans, there is no celebrity.  Fans are however, not limited to the typical entertainment realm of musicians and actors, politicians, company executives, news personalities, and even private citizens can also attract their own set of fans in today’s society. 

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share2
2 Shares

Managing Your Digital Footprint

In the world of protective services, we are often charged with the responsibility of having to manage and reconcile between safety and access for our protectees. 

As business owners, employees, independent contractors or just private citizens we too are challenged with the dichotomy of managing our personal and professional lives on social media.   

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share2
2 Shares

Executive Protection Travel Pack

As is common with us all, we love our gear and we can’t get enough. A common discussion in our Facebook group, The Protective Security Group, is travel gear and equipment.

While not meant to be a comprehensive or ‘cookie-cutter’ list, below I share a typical packing of my ‘go-bag’ which I hope you all find useful; at least as a good baseline to add/subtract from for your travel needs.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

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 we will be looking only at malicious purposes. 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 enough simply 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 of the need to take care with information which could be misused.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Keeping Your Edge – Measured Responses in Tour Security (Part II)

These challenges can take the form of unintentional harm coming by way of a prop, stage equipment, or something as simple as a slip and fall caused by a long dress and high heels.

Whenever we can, we as Protectors must try and anticipate, correcting or counteracting the occurrences that can cause this harm. This is usually done during the Site Advance at which time we do a walk-thru of the areas that the VIP will be visiting, in this scenario, the stage. It is at that time we will perform a visual inspection of the stage and the props, go hands-on with items the Protectee might come into contact with, such as the guard railing, and enlist the help of experts to answer questions that are beyond our realm of expertise, such as how the overhead lights are connected to the scaffolding.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Tactical Vs Tacticool

The ‘tactical culture’ had flourished over the last few years, mainly due to the proliferation of video cameras and increasing engagement with social media platforms, which I believe is causing the lines between reality and the ‘tacticool’ entertainment world to become very, very blurred…

It takes very little these days to be a part of the tactical sub-culture that is trending, here’s how to do it. Simply, purchase a gun, where legal, get your hands on some tactical clothing, buy a bunch of ‘black op’ accessories, plug into ‘Soldier of Fortune’ social-media channels and perhaps even take some no-fail tactical training courses, then after a few months, hey presto, you’re an expert! Whereas, in the good old days, the only option, if you wanted this lifestyle, was to join the military – preferably the Infantry!

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share10
10 Shares

Social Media & Social Management

Social media can quickly become all things to all people meaning that one can find exactly what they’re looking for at any time, anywhere, and at the stroke of a key, or swipe of a computer screen. However, the technology can also work against you when someone is negligent in their use or management of it.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share1
1 Shares

How to be Cyber Safe When on Public WiFi

Connecting your device to the World Wide Web isn’t an issue when you’re at your place. It’s relatively safe, simple to do, and free of crowded traffic. When you leave the safety of your home to a public area, the story changes. When you connect to public Wi-Fi in different places, making certain you can still connect with people, read online news, and work remotely, are you aware of the risks?

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share15
15 Shares

Keeping Your Edge – Flowers For the Living

regret that comes from knowing that you could have done more to support a person in life, even if just by offering a kind word or two. Some might think a topic like this has no place in an Alpha industry like Close Protection but consider that a large part of our ranks are pulled from both law enforcement and the military. We can all see how helpful positive reinforcement has been for those stressful careers.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share69
69 Shares

Executive Protection in Russia

Risk and Retaliation at the World Cup and Beyond. On 3/26/2018, the United States joined 20 nations including the UK, Canada, and Italy in what is said to be the largest coordinated expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history.

Over 100 Russian diplomats were told to leave their foreign postings in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy living in the UK. Russia promised to retaliate against this “provocative gesture”.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share4
4 Shares

OSINT: Do You Know How to Stay Protected?

The best protection against such SIM swapping methods is simple. Buy a dual SIM phone with a second pay-as-you-go number on a separate provider, which is used only for these authentication purposes. Since nothing is tying the number directly to you, it becomes much more challenging for an attacker to carry out a SIM swap.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share16
16 Shares

Recent Events

Latest Podcast Episode