SecTrainer
04-06-2009, 12:42 PM
I am thinking about making our 16-hour course in Security Counterintelligence available online. As I run the numbers, it would cost about $40 to offset the costs of implementation, examination and certificate of completion, and would be made available to the security community at cost because this is a "give-back" to the security community. Or, "pay it forward" if you prefer.
Although this is an "awareness" level course, I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression. Some "awareness" courses are very superficial - like Father Sarducci's "Five Minute University" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8x8eoU3L4) (Sarducci's course in Economics consists of learning "supply and demand" and "buy low, sell high"). For CI, even "awareness" is a very intensive proposition because "awareness" is actually 90% of CI. In other words, "awareness" of espionage and intelligence methods that might be conducted against your facility is much, much more than half the battle. It requires an understanding of who the "enemy" is (who might conduct espionage against your facility?), the various intelligence methods that might be used, the intel cycle, collection methods such as HUMINT, SIGINT, etc., other surveillance methods and a basic understanding of OPSEC and countersurveillance proactive measures.
In other words, the 16 hours are very dense and the examination is challenging, with the objective of producing a security officer who knows how CI fits into his/her role and how intelligence and criminal operatives seek to defeat facility security, the critical reasons to credentialize and challenge "visitors", the role of TSCM (technical surveillance countermeasures), etc. In short, to turn you into suspicious, hard-nosed security officers who can't easily be fooled, manipulated, predicted, exploited or defeated. There is also a module that addresses the private security community's role in Homeland Security. We also look at the methods used by groups like The Ruckus Society to "scout" their targets. You'll never look at janitors, maintenance staff or other "low-level" people the same way again (who else has full access to your facility?) , you won't trust a board room environment, you'll double-check "credentials", and you're quite likely to become somewhat cynical in your view of the world, but that's the cold, hard reality of the world we live and work in.
When was the last time you examined the region beyond the boundaries of your facility's perimeters to identify potential observation points?
When you patrol, how do you make yourself unpredictable? Invisible?
When should you "trust" a vendor who repeatedly comes on site?
What electronic devices threaten your facility?
Is anyone in security monitoring your facility's "help wanted" ads for revealing information?
What can be learned by intelligence agents on a "facility tour"?
When was the last time you checked the contents of trash baskets/dumpsters?
Are your facility's employees trained in information security? For instance, do they understand how devastating it can be merely to reveal the "insider nickname" of a person, unit or process?
What does your facility's website reveal? Is anyone posting sensitive information on blogs, forums, news groups, etc?
Has anyone in security cruised the perimeter of your facility checking for stray wireless network signals?
What can observation of your parking lot (loading dock, rail siding, visitor parking area, etc.) reveal?
What security risks do your corporate executives, scientists, researchers, etc. present when they travel, make speeches, write articles, etc?
What vulnerabilities does the need to conduct surveillance before attacking a target facility provide to security operatives?
What behaviors betray surveillance activities?
How would you conduct a counterintelligence field interview?
How does physical security fit into the OPSEC picture?
Does anyone sweep participants and meeting rooms for SIGINT threats? Are visitors allowed to carry IPods, USB sticks, etc. on site?
...and much more.
The course is entitled "Security Counterintelligence Officer" and the certificate will be issued by the training academy side of NSTACC. It will correspond with the course title. The average student can plan on spending at least 16 hours to complete the course IF he doesn't pause the presentation to take notes, 4 to 8 hours to review the CI aspects of his own facility, and 4 hours to prepare for the examination, so I'm guessing that completion time will look more like 30 hours although we can't count that many "contact hours". You will HAVE to understand CI to pass the examination, period.
I'll try to judge the level of interest based on your replies over the next week or so.
Thanks!
Although this is an "awareness" level course, I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression. Some "awareness" courses are very superficial - like Father Sarducci's "Five Minute University" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8x8eoU3L4) (Sarducci's course in Economics consists of learning "supply and demand" and "buy low, sell high"). For CI, even "awareness" is a very intensive proposition because "awareness" is actually 90% of CI. In other words, "awareness" of espionage and intelligence methods that might be conducted against your facility is much, much more than half the battle. It requires an understanding of who the "enemy" is (who might conduct espionage against your facility?), the various intelligence methods that might be used, the intel cycle, collection methods such as HUMINT, SIGINT, etc., other surveillance methods and a basic understanding of OPSEC and countersurveillance proactive measures.
In other words, the 16 hours are very dense and the examination is challenging, with the objective of producing a security officer who knows how CI fits into his/her role and how intelligence and criminal operatives seek to defeat facility security, the critical reasons to credentialize and challenge "visitors", the role of TSCM (technical surveillance countermeasures), etc. In short, to turn you into suspicious, hard-nosed security officers who can't easily be fooled, manipulated, predicted, exploited or defeated. There is also a module that addresses the private security community's role in Homeland Security. We also look at the methods used by groups like The Ruckus Society to "scout" their targets. You'll never look at janitors, maintenance staff or other "low-level" people the same way again (who else has full access to your facility?) , you won't trust a board room environment, you'll double-check "credentials", and you're quite likely to become somewhat cynical in your view of the world, but that's the cold, hard reality of the world we live and work in.
When was the last time you examined the region beyond the boundaries of your facility's perimeters to identify potential observation points?
When you patrol, how do you make yourself unpredictable? Invisible?
When should you "trust" a vendor who repeatedly comes on site?
What electronic devices threaten your facility?
Is anyone in security monitoring your facility's "help wanted" ads for revealing information?
What can be learned by intelligence agents on a "facility tour"?
When was the last time you checked the contents of trash baskets/dumpsters?
Are your facility's employees trained in information security? For instance, do they understand how devastating it can be merely to reveal the "insider nickname" of a person, unit or process?
What does your facility's website reveal? Is anyone posting sensitive information on blogs, forums, news groups, etc?
Has anyone in security cruised the perimeter of your facility checking for stray wireless network signals?
What can observation of your parking lot (loading dock, rail siding, visitor parking area, etc.) reveal?
What security risks do your corporate executives, scientists, researchers, etc. present when they travel, make speeches, write articles, etc?
What vulnerabilities does the need to conduct surveillance before attacking a target facility provide to security operatives?
What behaviors betray surveillance activities?
How would you conduct a counterintelligence field interview?
How does physical security fit into the OPSEC picture?
Does anyone sweep participants and meeting rooms for SIGINT threats? Are visitors allowed to carry IPods, USB sticks, etc. on site?
...and much more.
The course is entitled "Security Counterintelligence Officer" and the certificate will be issued by the training academy side of NSTACC. It will correspond with the course title. The average student can plan on spending at least 16 hours to complete the course IF he doesn't pause the presentation to take notes, 4 to 8 hours to review the CI aspects of his own facility, and 4 hours to prepare for the examination, so I'm guessing that completion time will look more like 30 hours although we can't count that many "contact hours". You will HAVE to understand CI to pass the examination, period.
I'll try to judge the level of interest based on your replies over the next week or so.
Thanks!