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On SecurityJul 2, 2019 | 09:00 GMT

In the same way that companies use LinkedIn to spot and recruit talent, intelligence agencies use it to spot and recruit spies.

Espionage and LinkedIn: How Not to Be Recruited As a Spy

The risk that hostile intelligence services will use LinkedIn as a recruitment tool has been widely reported. One such report, by Mika Aaltola at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs published in June 2019, focused on Chinese activity on LinkedIn. The phenomenon is not, however, confined to Chinese intelligence operations. All intelligence agencies exploit the platform, something illustrated by the Iranian-linked hack of Deloitte in which LinkedIn was used to set a virtual honey trap. Even so, the number of reported cases attributed to the Chinese -- including cases I've written on like that of former intelligence officers such as Kevin Mallory, or corporate espionage cases such as one involving an engineer at GE Aviation -- suggest their intelligence services are among the most active and aggressive users of LinkedIn as a recruitment tool. And this makes mitigating the threat critical, whether on LinkedIn or any other social media platform.

Partner PerspectivesMay 27, 2019 | 10:00 GMT

Just one mistake can ruin a company's reputation that took decades to build.

The Reputational Risks That CEOs are Most Worried About

It can take decades to earn a reputation, and just one mistake to ruin it. Here's what business leaders see as the biggest reputational risks.

On SecurityDec 25, 2018 | 07:00 GMT

Security men watch police CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras overlooking a street in Croydon, south London.

On Security in 2018: A Chronology

Written by Scott Stewart and Stratfor's Threat Lens team, this end-of-year collection highlights the important events and trends in security that you need to be on top of to stay safe, aware and in the know.

Security

Cybersecurity

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

On SecurityJan 25, 2018 | 08:00 GMT

Hacking is far more affordable than traditional warfare.

Hacking: Another Weapon in the Asymmetrical Arsenal

Iran's Islamic Revolution could play out, in part, online. On Jan. 4, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a report describing the country as a "third-tier cyberthreat." The report's authors note that despite Iran's success with cyberattacks such as Shamoon and a spear-phishing campaign that hit Deloitte and several other companies, Iranian attacks generally feature poor tradecraft. As a result, investigators haven't had much trouble tracking cyber operations back to the Islamic republic, whether because the attack code contained Farsi terms or because its associated IP address traced to Iran. Iranian spear-phishing attacks, likewise, frequently suffer from their perpetrators' poor command of the English language. But even if its capabilities pale in comparison with those of Russia or China, Iran is still a cyberthreat, albeit a third-tier one. The Carnegie Endowment's report about the country's adoption and use of an asymmetrical weapon such as hacking called to mind the way

Iran's Arc of Influence

Cybersecurity

On SecurityJan 4, 2018 | 09:00 GMT

Predators stalk the internet and social media channels looking for easy targets.

To Stay Safe on the Internet, Don't Stand Out From the Herd

While I've written about the dangers of making oneself a target on social media before, two cases -- one in the United States and one in Germany -- had me thinking about the intersection of the internet and the attack cycle -- or attack cycles really, because there is a difference between being targeted by criminals, terrorists and hostile intelligence officers -- as well as the variety of operations these malefactors are capable of.

Editorial BoardDec 2, 2016 | 19:00 GMT

Andrew Trabulsi

Andrew Trabulsi is a Silicon Valley-based strategy consultant, author and entrepreneur with a background in technology forecasting, geopolitical analysis and economic development policy. His work and research have included technology capacity-building with indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest, economic development with large-scale commercial banks, innovation consulting with Deloitte LLP, technology writing for The Economist Group and geopolitical analysis of transnational criminal organizations.

As Director of the Institute for the Future's Governance Futures Lab, Mr. Trabulsi works across sectors, serving Fortune 100 clients, international nongovernmental organizations and the U.S. intelligence community. His first book, Warlords, Inc: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur, was published in 2015.

Partner PerspectivesMar 14, 2013 | 14:56 GMT