Spotlight | United Kingdom, United States
Trump report : a cold shower for intelligence sector

Spotlight | United Kingdom
When spies turn storytellers: pseudonyms and secrets in the world of espionage fiction

When former spies become novelists, they often cling to their old cloak-and-dagger habits by publishing under pen names, especially if they are still bound by confidentiality obligations. But sometimes the mask slips.

Spotlight | United Kingdom
Inside Orbis, part 2: former MI6 employee's intelligence firm also probed Lords' Russia links

Investigating links with Russia's political and security apparatus is an integral part of Orbis's activities. But in addition to the now famous ‘Steele dossier' against Donald Trump, the firm also investigated big names close to ‘Londongrad' in the British parliament's upper house.

United States
Episode 2: FTI wins prestige clients due to Ferrante's Washington connections

Since joining FTI six years ago, Ferrante has assisted deep-pocket customers such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Yahoo. Expert reports and testimony on phishing, hacking and other threats are typical services he offers as the firm's Global Head of Cybersecurity.

Russia, Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine expose each other's intelligence agents in their efforts to win propaganda war

The Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services are happy to showcase information about their own activities when they make arrests or score counter-intelligence successes but revealing the identities of the other side's intelligence agents is another well-tried weapon in their propaganda war.

China, United States
Washington moulds new multilateral strategy in 'China Initiative' follow-up

After pressure from the FBI, the 'China Initiative' has undergone an official name change. Washington is now keen to take a harder line and involve its Indo-Pacific allies in a drive to both rid itself of spies and protect itself from the Chinese Communist Party.

The Corporate Intelligence Village Voice
CR Investigations, Elliott, Raiole, ESL & Network

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 London, Washinton and Paris.

London CR Investigations primed for 2022 with new Russia-facing recruits.

London Elliott counts on Boris Johnson's ex-PR whiz.

Washington Ex-CIA agent Raiole moves into fair trade.

Paris No longer advising Huawei, Alexandre Medvedowsky pushes for sovereign consulting.

Washington Nardello hires ex-DEA agent for DC office.

France, United Kingdom, United States
Wall Street's biggest users of private investigators settle their scores in battle over Universal

The future of music industry giant Universal will be settled in Paris tomorrow by "activist" investment companies. All the protagonists, who include Daniel Loeb and Bill Ackman, are big users of private investigators for their corporate raiding operations.

United States
FBI externalises FISA audit for greater credibility

On September 23, the FBI issued a tender for assistance [...]

Belgium
After Cameron success, VSSE looks to make bigger splash internationally

While Belgium's State Security Service, or VSSE, is relishing being [...]

United Kingdom, United States
Steele's activities for Deripaska questioned by Congress

The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (USSCI) report published [...]

Russia, United Kingdom
FBI report could find Soriano exposed again

The Inspector General (IG) of the FBI released on December, 2 his report on the agency's handling of the investigation [...]

United States
Jeff Ressin makes shift to Oracle

Jeff Ressin, the former FBI chief information officer (CIO) who [...]

United Kingdom
Arthur Snell joins Burrows and Steele at Orbis

Arthur Snell, a former official at the Foreign & Commonwealth [...]

United States
Former FBI computer chief joins private sector

Jeremy Wiltz, the former deputy director for information technology at [...]

United States
Forward Risk joins opposition research firms in election fray

The Washington-based corporate intelligence firm Forward Risk is getting into opposition research, or ‘oppo'. The company, which was founded last [...]

United States
Under fire, DNI provides safety net for whistleblowers

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) modified the framework for whistleblowing late last month, in an effort [...]

New Zealand, United States
Wellington no longer wants to give CIA free rein to its intel

Acting on a damning report on the role New Zealand's intelligence services played in the CIA's interrogation programmes published by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), Wellington has introduced new safeguards, even when dealing with their closest Five Eyes allies.

United States
Sean Brennan, from FBI in Iraq to Global Response Center

Sean Brennan, a recently retired heavyweight of the FBI's counterterrorism units in the Middle East, has been appointed director of [...]

United Kingdom
Intelligence services receive guidelines on interrogations abroad

Britain has issued a set of guiding principles to the [...]

United Kingdom
Home office prepares allies for Brexit

Britain's Home Office began to increase its Brexit preparation staff numbers last month, taking on a growing number of IT [...]

United States
CIA, FBI cloud specialist gets closer to Oracle

Jeff Ressin stepped down as the FBI's deputy chief information officer (CIO) to join the Virginia advisory firm Peloton Strategies [...]

Europe
Network 251, private intelligence alliance with Slavic slant

Increasingly active in Belgrade (IOL 817), the small Swiss corporate intelligence firm Brasidas Group has recently launched a new network [...]

United Kingdom, United States
New CIA No.2 Vaughn Bishop will woo British intelligence

A key task of Vaughn Bishop, who was appointed as the new deputy director of the CIA by Donald Trump [...]

United Kingdom
Andrew Fulton gets busy after leaving GPW

Having recently stepped down at the end of a decade as chairman of GPW (IOL 522), Andrew Fulton, 74, is [...]

France, United States
Despite political tension, CIA still counts on Paris

While the US and France are in disagreement in a number of areas politically, Intelligence Online can reveal that the [...]

United Kingdom
Skripal: a strange message from the SVR

Former high-ranking officials of the Russian external intelligence service, the [...]

United States
DSS, Trump's watchdog against Chinese investment

The Defense Security Service (DSS), the Pentagon's counter-intelligence service, launched a tender in February to externalise the analysis of data [...]

United Kingdom
Skripal case exposes intelligence services' shortcomings

The poisoning of Sergei Skripal highlights British intelligence's tactical weakness on Russian activities, an area in which it once shone.

United States
Republicans come to rescue of ‘fusion centers'

A Republican-led bill was introduced in Congress in February supporting [...]

Spotlight | United Kingdom
‘Oligarch list' causes City headaches

The US Treasury Department's list of figures close to Putin has brought to light the many links between Britain's financial establishment and named oligarchs. The affair looks set to further destabilise the City of London, which is already grappling with Brexit.

Taiwan
Taiwan's FBI wants to show it has friends

Announcing on October 29 that it had trained more than 500 law and order and foreign intelligence agents in the [...]

United States
US firm Elliot hires Brussels lobbyist

The big US hedge fund Elliott Management, headed by Paul [...]

Russia, United States
Trump case : Alfa picks its private investigators

Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman's conglomerate Alfa Group has recently been scouting for private investigation firms to help build its defence [...]

United States
Despite Trump, Congress builds cyberdefence against Russia

Although the White House continues to play down the role of Russian interference in the US elections last year, the [...]

United States
Mark Cowan, former CIA official, guides Sinopec in Washington

Mark Cowan, the former CIA's Assistant Legislative Counsel turned lobbyist, [...]

China, United States
Shanghai SASS, the Guoanbu's nest of spies

The FBI's arrest of retired CIA officer Kevin Mallory on June 22 has put the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences [...]

Europe, Russia
Russians suspected of sowing confusion in Malta

The political storms sweeping the small Mediterranean island of Malta worry Western intelligence agencies, who suspect Russia could be behind it all.

North Korea, United States
Stephanie Murphy speaks for spies in Congress

After Donald Trump's sabre-rattling at North Korea, the Democrats in Congress, who are in the minority, are trying to take [...]

United Kingdom
Shadow of MI6 over Rolls-Royce case

The settlement between the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Britain’s Rolls-Royce over the engine maker’s corruption of foreign officials says [...]

United States
Dan Coats, former lobbyist, to coordinate intelligence

The former clients of Dan Coats are delighted that Donald Trump has picked the ex-lobbyist to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

United States
Trump's favourite intelligence firms

The most recent appointments by President Elect Donald Trump confirm the influence of a few security firms in his administration.

United States
CIA braces itself for Trump

The US intelligence agency is trembling in its shoes as Donald Trump's staff prepares to place the agency under new management.

Spotlight | United States
Trump's intelligence industry insider

Michael T. Flynn, the charismatic former chief of the Defense Intelligence (DIA), surprised Capitol Hill over the summer by joining Donald Trump's campaign as security advisor. The only high-ranking intelligence official to have hitched his wagon to the Republican candidate, [.

Spotlight | UAE, United States
Power struggle flares between RAK princes

A number of corporate intelligence and lobbying firms are centre stage in a struggle for power in Ras al-Kaimah, one of the smallest members of the United Arab Emirates. Oussama el-Omari, the former managing director of the Ras al-Khaimah Free [.

Argentina, United States
Argentina and Elliot head for another round

President Cristina Kirchner and the hedge funds that have gambled on her country's public debt are lining up their respective teams of private consultants ahead of a fresh battle.

United Kingdom
Orbis Business Intelligence

Orbis Business Intelligence has made its mark in recent years [...]

London denounces Oslo's double oil dealings

British intelligence is urging the Norwegians to cease collaborating with Kenya while at the same time supporting the Somalian government with a view to taking advantage of their oil.

Paul Singer, debt hunter turned diamond's man

Mostly known in Africa for the epic battle he wages against countries whose debt he has bought, billionaire Paul Singer [...]

Washington pursues rapprochement with Khartoum

With Omar Al Bashir’s government poised to dismantle refugee camps [...]