Covert Contact

Washington Takes Aim at the Confucius Institute

Today’s decision to force the Confucius Institute to register as a foreign mission is the subject of my regular Thursday evening counterintelligence chat with Covert Contact regular William Tucker. We look at why it was necessary and where we, and China, might go from here.

Covert Contact

Israel and The United States: Past, Present, and Future with Alon Pinkas

Alon joins Covert Contact to look at the state of the relationship, look at where it could (and should) evolve, and to dive into some of the socio-political dynamics that shape the relationship and how it is viewed from both sides.

Australia

Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy

Australian journalist Stilgherrian, returns to Covert Contact to discuss Australia's recently released 2020 cyber security strategy.

Covert Contact

Chinese Spies and Russian Honey Traps

William J. Tucker returns for our regular Thursday evening counterintelligence chat. We start off by discussing the resource challenges in addressing Chinese espionage but quickly pivot to thoughts on Russian cases, honey traps, and more.

Covert Contact

Quick Take: An Explosion in Beirut

A massive explosion has rocked Beirut at a critical time in Lebanon's history. In this quick take I share some concerns about what could happen next.

Covert Contact

Online Security: Avoiding a Personal October Surprise

Infosec professional and security blogger Scot Terban joins me to discuss the recent LinkedIn spying case, the degrading environment in social media, and strategies for improving your personal security.

Covert Contact

Chinese Espionage in the United States

William Tucker is back to discuss the scale of Chinese espionage in the United States and some of the misconceptions that have hampered our response to the threat.

Covert Contact

Shaping Intelligence Products for Maximum Impact

Dean Baratta returns for a discussion about the never-ending need to develop and refine intelligence products so that they meet customer needs, build trust, and land with the greatest possible impact.

Covert Contact

When You Can’t Obey

Pauline Shanks Kaurin, Ph.D joins Covert Contact to discuss ethical and moral dilemmas and how we can prepare ourselves for the eventual challenge of facing them.

Covert Contact

What's Happening at the Chinese Consulate in Houston?

Houston rarely finds itself at the center of geopolitical drama but that changed overnight as firefighters and police surrounded the Chinese consulate as staff there began burning massive amounts of documentation in the building's courtyard.

Covert Contact

Covert Contact is Back

Dean Baratta joins Covert Contact as we resume production after a nearly two year hiatus. We touch on some of the macro problems the world is facing with and where the show is heading from here.

Politics

The Lincoln Project: Mourning in America

Donald Trump’s failed presidency has left the nation weaker, sicker, and teetering on the verge of a new Great Depression. There’s mourning in America.

Personal

Coronavirus Outbreak: Preparing for COVID-19 in the United States

I'm getting a lot of questions about how I have prepared to ride out this outbreak since I sit in the middle of the clusters that are popping up around the Bay Area.

Counterintelligence

The Entirely Predictable Subversion of the US IC

I hear a lot of people saying that "the warning lights are blinking red" this week but the truth is that they were blinking in late 2015. The dismantling of institutions and norms has been systematic and if you think this is bad - it's just getting started.

Technology

Linux Adventures

In January I decided to upgrade. The specs on a new Mac Mini were underwhelming and getting up to even moderate specs was expensive. For roughly the same cost I could get an extremely powerful, upgradable, and handcrafted Thelio from System76.

Extremism

Extremism: Gamifcation, Funding, and Viral Strains

Gamification is probably too narrow and specific to describe how intertwined technology has become with extremism but we still need a gameplan for dealing with technology and the role it plays in facilitating and accelerating these networks.

Hacking

Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy

Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy

Encryption

The Future of Signal and Other Stories in Encryption

Once information leaves your head it is at risk. There is always some level of risk when traversing other people's hardware, software, and networks. Always.

Politics

The Lincoln Project: Telling the Truth

The Lincoln Project's new ad addresses the treatment of Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman

Health

Coronavirus Resources: The Truth About COVID-19

A frightening global event with life or death consequences presents the greatest possible challenge to information quality.

Counterintelligence

A New Counterintelligence Strategy

The National Counterintelligence and Strategy Center rolled out their roadmap for the next two years and, on paper at least, it looks good.

Security

Election Security: We Aren't Ready

Iowa was, to be sure, a mess but it only hints at the chaos that is almost certain to come.

Intelligence

Staying Sane in an Insane World

We're not meant to be heads down in the worst content (and viewpoints) that man has to offer dozens of hours per week year after year. Our brains can't take it and if that's your job you have to acknowledge that. The sooner you do the better you'll be able to handle it.

Politics

The Friday Night Massacre

In America war criminals are celebrated and dutiful soldiers and diplomats are harassed and shown the door. It's not like we didn't see this coming. You shouldn't have any doubts about what is coming next either. It gets much much worse from here.

Personal

Anthony Bourdain: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations

I almost ignored Melvile House when they reached out to ask if I would contribute my 2014 interview with Anthony Bourdain to a small collection they were hoping to publish. But Melvile House cofounder Dennis Johnson was persistent and passionate about the project.