SIGINT

United States
Glencore, US Justice Department and Swiss authorities enter final talks over compliance monitor

The Swiss trading giant is still negotiating its compliance monitor with US and Swiss authorities after pleading guilty to bribery before New York and London courts in the second quarter of 2022. In this, it is heavily relying on McLarty Associates' strategic advice.

Turkey
Interdata moves into interception market thanks to discreet RedEye acquisition

Alper Ozbilen's Turkish defence empire has acquired new interception capacities by integrating Ankara-based provider RedEye into its subsidiary Interdata. This move will allow the company to broaden its range of services.

United States
Congress and US intelligence community see two sides of advertising cookies

The US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has called for a report into the threat that cookies and other forms of online data collection pose to the US, despite their growing popularity with the US intelligence community.

Belarus, Ukraine
How Kyiv dismantled Belarusian volunteer militia Pagonia

Pagonia, a group of anti-Lukashenko dissidents, had hoped to be on the front line against Russian forces in Ukraine. However, it stumbled on the realities of the ground, and on interference from the Ukrainian intelligence, eager to keep control of its territory.

Armenia
Armenia plans security apparatus overhaul under watchful eyes of neighbours

Armenia's 2023 budget discussions bring back into the public debate the creation of an external intelligence service, at a time of instability in the political and security environment in the region.

Belarus
Belarus intelligence spreads fog of war over defectors and prisoners

The Belarusian KGB and ministry of the interior have been using real and fake arrests to spread confusion as it takes a more staunchly pro-Russian line. This is accompanied by attempts to infiltrate opposition movements.

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette
Amarante in the south of France, Kroll waiting on money, McRoberts back to Veracity, 5 Stones expands to SIGINT

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, Miami and Marseille.

New York Kroll waiting for Smerling fraud money

London Carla McRoberts returns

Miami 5 Stones Intelligence expands into technical intelligence

Marseille Muselier brings in Amarante

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.

France
DRSD positions itself as French defence big data technology hub

France's defence security and intelligence service has developed a number of data tools that it is touting to other branches of the intelligence community.

The Agencies' Gazette
DGSE's green goals, cybersecurity between Sultans, Lithuanian sanctions, Syrian airspace jitters

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community from London to Paris via Nur-Sultan.

FranceDGSE goes green to justify pricey new head office.

Bahrain/OmanCybersecurity dominates cooperation talks between Manama and Mascat.

LithuaniaAnti-money laundering veteran takes helm of foreign ministry's 'sanctions' group.

Israel/SyriaTsahal seeks new targets from Syrian skies.

Spotlight | Russia
Russian firm Operation Zero braves Ukraine war to launch into zero day market

Recently created Russian company Operation Zero is offering substantial rewards for zero-day vulnerabilities despite its young age. It has emerged during the war in Ukraine, taking advantage of a more liberal attitude on Moscow's part towards private sector cyber companies.

France
French ministries battle for influence over online counterinterference effort

The French foreign and defence ministries are vying for leadership on strategic communication in response to foreign propaganda, while Viginum, an agency created to fight online interference, and the intelligence services are increasingly cooperating on its monitoring.

United Kingdom
UK parliament calls on MI6, MI5 and GCHQ to play role in preventing atrocities

Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and with one eye on developments in the US, Britain's parliamentary International Development Select Committee is calling for the intelligence community to support the Foreign Office's new Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation (OCSM).

China
Beyond Taiwan headlines, China lays ground for more regional conflicts

The security-focused conclusions of the Chinese Communist Party Congress went beyond the international headline issue of Taiwan. Beijing is already considering diplomatic and intelligence manoeuvres to aid its expansion into other territories.

Syria, Turkey
Turkish intelligence plays ambiguous game in north-west Syria

Following the capture of the district of Afrin by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Turkish intelligence service MIT is unsure whether to condemn the group, with which it maintains relations, or turn a blind eye to its activities.

Israel, Malaysia
How the Mossad outsources covert operations to its Malaysian agents

The Mossad's attempt to run covert operations in Malaysia from Israel has recently been publicly exposed as a failure. It also unwittingly disclosed how it recruits, trains and remotely controls cells of local agents.