i loved John Le Carre

1. 3/15/2016 Tradecraft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This Mark IV microdot
camera could be used to take
pictures of documents. The
microdot film was so tiny it
could be hidden in a spy's
personal effects and smuggled
out of a location.
Tradecraft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tradecraft, within the intelligence community, refers to the techniques
used in modern espionage and generally, the activity of intelligence.
This includes general topics or techniques (dead drops, for example), or
the specific techniques of a nation or organization (the particular form
of encryption used by the NSA, for example).
Contents
1 Intelligence technology and techniques
2 In popular culture
2.1 In film
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Intelligence technology and techniques
Agent handling is the management of agents, principal agents, and agent networks (called
"assets") by intelligence officers typically known as case officers
Analytic tradecraft is the body of specific methods for intelligence analysis
Black bag operations are covert or clandestine entries into structures to obtain information for
human intelligence operations. This requires breaking and entering, lock picking, safe cracking,
key impressions, fingerprinting, photography, electronic surveillance (including audio and video
surveillance), mail manipulation (flaps and seals), forgery, and a host of other related skills.
Caltrops or "tire spikes" are sharp­pronged metal devices that can be scattered on a road or
runway, where they can puncture the tire of a vehicle or plane.
Concealment devices are used to hide things for the purpose of secrecy or security. Examples in
espionage include dead drop spikes for transferring items to other people, and hollowed­out coins
or teeth for concealing suicide pills.
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of
third parties (called adversaries).[1] More generally, it is about constructing and analyzing
protocols that block adversaries
A cut­out is a mutually trusted intermediary, method or channel of communication, facilitating the
exchange of information between agents. Cutouts usually only know the source and destination of
the information to be transmitted, but are unaware of the identities of any other persons involved
in the espionage process. Thus, a captured cutout cannot be used to identify members of an
espionage cell.
A dead drop or "dead letter box" is a method of espionage tradecraft used to pass items between

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Caltrop used by the US Office
of Strategic Services. When
scattered on a roadway or
runway, the hollow spikes
puncture self­sealing rubber
tires. The hole in the center
allows air to escape even if the
other end of the tube is sealed
by soft ground.
two individuals using a secret location and thus does not require
them to meet directly. Using a dead drop permits a case officer
and agent to exchange objects and information while maintaining
operational security. The method stands in contrast to the 'live
drop', so called because two persons meet to exchange items or
information.
"Drycleaning" is a countersurveillance technique for discerning
how many "tails" one is being followed by, and by moving about,
seemingly oblivious to being tailed, perhaps losing some of those
doing surveillance.[2]
Eavesdropping is secretly listening to the private conversation of
others without their consent, typically using a hidden microphone
False flag operations is a covert military or paramilitary
operations designed to deceive in such a way that the operations
appear as though they are being carried out by entities, groups, or
nations other than those who actually planned and executed
them. Operations carried out during peace­time by civilian
organizations, as well as covert government agencies, may by
extension be called false flag.
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by
another organization, such as intelligence agencies. Front
organizations can act for the parent group without the actions being attributed to the parent group.
A honey trap is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person and encourage them to divulge
information during or after a sexual encounter
Internet police is a generic term for police and secret police departments and other organizations
in charge of policing Internet in a number of countries. The major purposes of Internet police,
depending on the state, are fighting cybercrime, as well as censorship, propaganda, and
monitoring and manipulating the online public opinion.
Interrogation is a type of interviewing commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and
intelligence agencies with the goal of eliciting useful information. Interrogation may involve a
diverse array of techniques, ranging from developing a rapport with the subject, to outright torture.
A legend refers to a person with a well­prepared synthetic identity (cover background) who may
attempt to infiltrate a target organization, as opposed to recruiting a pre­existing employee whose
knowledge can be exploited.
A microdot is text or an image substantially reduced in size onto a small disc to prevent detection
by unintended recipients or officials who are searching for them. Microdots are, fundamentally, a
steganographic approach to message protection. In Germany after the Berlin Wall was erected,
special cameras were used to generate microdots which were then adhered to letters and sent
through the mail. These microdots often went unnoticed by inspectors, and information could be
read by the intended recipient using a microscope.
A one­time pad is an encryption technique that cannot be cracked if used correctly. In this
technique, a plaintext is paired with random, secret key (or pad).
One­way voice link is typically a radio based communication method used by spy networks to
communicate with agents in the field typically (but not exclusively) using shortwave radio
frequencies. Shortwave frequencies were and are generally highly preferred for their long range,
as a communications link of 1200 km is easily possible. VHF and UHF frequencies can be used
for one way voice circuits, but are generally not preferred as their range is at best 300 km (on flat
terrain). Since the 1970s infrared point to point communication systems have been used that offer
one way voice links, but the number of users was always limited. A Numbers Station is an
example of a one­way voice link, often broadcasting to a field agent who may already know the
intended meaning of the code, or use a one­time pad to decode. The Ionosphere can effect certain
transmissions in such a way that these signals can be received great distances from their origin,
making it an ideal communication method to instruct field agents embedded in a target country as
only a relatively simple receiver is needed. Because there is no need to broadcast covertly, as the

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message is generally useless to anybody other than the intended target. These numbers stations
will continue to broadcast gibberish or random messages according to their usual schedule, this is
done to expend the resources of ones adversaries as they try in vain to make sense of the data, and
to avoid revealing the purpose of the station or activity of agents by broadcasting solely when
needed.
Steganography is the art or practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another
message, image, or file. Generally, the hidden message will appear to be (or be part of) something
else: images, articles, shopping lists, or some other cover text. For example, the hidden message
may be in invisible ink between the visible lines of a private letter.[3] The advantage of
steganography over cryptography alone is that the intended secret message does not attract
attention to itself as an object of scrutiny. Plainly visible encrypted messages — no matter how
unbreakable — will arouse interest, and may in themselves be incriminating in countries where
encryption is illegal.[4]
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of
people for the purpose of influencing, managing, directing, or protecting them.[2] This can include
observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment (such as CCTV cameras), or
interception of electronically transmitted information (such as Internet traffic or phone calls); and
it can include simple, relatively no­ or low­technology methods such as human intelligence agents
and postal interception. The word surveillance comes from a French phrase for "watching over"
("sur" means "from above" and "veiller" means "to watch").
TEMPEST is a National Security Agency specification and NATO certification[5][6] referring to
spying on information systems through leaking emanations, including unintentional radio or
electrical signals, sounds, and vibrations. TEMPEST covers both methods to spy upon others and
also how to shield equipment against such spying. The protection efforts are also known as
emission security (EMSEC), which is a subset of communications security (COMSEC).[7][8]
In popular culture
In the books of such authors as Grant Blackwood, Tom Clancy, Ian Fleming, and John le Carré
characters frequently engage in tradecraft, e.g., making or retrieving from dead drops, dry cleaning, and
wiring, using, or sweeping for intelligence gathering devices, such as cameras or microphones hidden in
the subjects' quarters, vehicles, clothing, or accessories.
In film
In the 2006 motion picture Mission Impossible 3 a microdot was hidden on the back of a postage
stamp and contained a magnetically stored video file.
The 2003 film Paycheck uses a realistic rendering of a microdot as a key plot element. The film
shows how well a microdot can be made to blend into an environment and how much information
such a dot can carry.
See also
Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques
United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation
References
1. Rivest, Ronald L. (1990). "Cryptology". In J. Van Leeuwen. Handbook of Theoretical Computer Science 1.
Elsevier.
2. Grant Blackwood & James Patterson (Editor) (2006). "Sacrificial Lion". Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All

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Night. line feed character in |work= at position 30 (help)
3. Fridrich, Jessica; M. Goljan; D. Soukal (2004). "Searching for the Stego Key" (PDF). Proc. SPIE, Electronic
Imaging, Security, Steganography, and Watermarking of Multimedia Contents VI 5306: 70–82. Retrieved
23 January 2014.
4. Pahati, OJ (2001­11­29). "Confounding Carnivore: How to Protect Your Online Privacy". AlterNet. Archived
from the original on 2007­07­16. Retrieved 2008­09­02.
5. Product Delivery Order Requirements Package Checklist (PDF), US Air Force
6. TEMPEST Equipment Selection Process, NATO Information Assurance, 1981
7. https://fas.org/spp/starwars/program/sbl/09a_10_Jul_DD_254_Attach.htm
8. http://static.e­publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_cio_a6/publication/afi33­200/afi33­200.pdf
External links
Tradecraft Notes ­ via Professor J. Ransom Clark, Muskingum College
(http://intellit.muskingum.edu/analysis_folder/di_catn_Folder/contents.htm)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tradecraft&oldid=704821112"
Categories: Espionage techniques
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