Covert Contact

Oct. 1, 2020 Shortwave Numbers Stations | Episode 118

Scot Terban joined me to discuss the use of shortwave numbers stations, recently declassified KGB investigative techniques for identifying recipients …

Sept. 25, 2020 Chinese Spies in US Law Enforcement – And Everywhere Else | Episode 117

The regular counterintelligence chat with William Tucker is a day late but full of new Chinese espionage activity in the …

Sept. 17, 2020 The Threat of Fake Spies | Episode 116

William Tucker returns to discuss the incredible case of Garrison Courtney and Alpha-214. Posing as a CIA NOC Courtney was …

Sept. 10, 2020 Election Threats and Disrupting Chinese Espionage | Episode 115

William Tucker joins me for our weekly counterintelligence chat. In this episode we discuss the recent report for Microsoft that …

Sept. 3, 2020 French Officer Busted Spying on NATO for GRU & Other Espionage Cases | 114

William Tucker joins me to discuss two high profile cases this week, sloppy Chinese tradecraft, and why it always pays …

Sept. 1, 2020 Russians Targeted Tesla Gigafactory in Ransomware Plot | Episode 113

Scot Terban is back to discuss the plot, common points of vulnerability, and what you can do it, like a …

Aug. 27, 2020 Texas A&M, NASA, and Chinese Espionage | Episode 112

William Tucker joins me to discuss the Zhengdong Cheng case, how Chinese espionage might need to evolve, global awareness of …

Aug. 23, 2020 Careers in Intelligence: Beyond the Three Letter Agencies |Episode 111

Dean Baratta joins me to discuss the rapidly diversifying and expanding non-traditional career paths in intelligence. We also touch on …

Aug. 22, 2020 Spying for Russia: The Peter Debbins Case | Episode 110

William Tucker joins me again to look into yesterday’s indictment of Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, a former Green Beret alleged …

Aug. 20, 2020 Counterintelligence Chat: Alexei Navalny & Alexander Ma | Episode 109

William Tucker returns to look at the apparent poisoning of Alexei Navalny and yet another Chinese espionage case, this time …

Aug. 16, 2020 Preparing for A Career in Intelligence: Thoughts on Personal Security and Behavior | Episode 108

Former CIA officer Maggie Gwynne joins me to discuss how those interested in pursuing a career in intelligence should manage …

Aug. 15, 2020 Understanding the Israel-UAE Deal | Episode 107

Alon Pinkas, who served as foreign policy advisor to Ehud Barak, political advisor to Shimon Peres, Chief of Staff to …

Aug. 14, 2020 A Pardon for Edward Snowden? | Episode 106

William Tucker returns to discuss the Edward Snowden case after President Trump made remarks on the case that sparked new …

Aug. 13, 2020 Washington Takes Aim at the Confucius Institute | Episode 105

Today’s decision to force the Confucius Institute to register as a foreign mission is the subject of my regular Thursday …

Aug. 12, 2020 Israel and The United States: Past, Present, and Future with Alon Pinkas | Episode 104

Alon Pinkas joins Covert Contact to look at the state of the relationship, look at where it could (and should) …

Aug. 7, 2020 Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy | Episode 103

Australian journalist Stilgherrian, who's been covering internet policy for more than a decade, and has been closely following Australia's cybersecurity …

Aug. 6, 2020 Chinese Spies and Russian Honey Traps | Episode 102

William Tucker returns for our regular Thursday evening counterintelligence chat. We start off by discussing the resource and coordination challenges …

Aug. 4, 2020 Quick Take: An Explosion in Beirut | Episode 101

A massive explosion has rocked Beirut at a critical time in Lebanon’s history. In this quick take I share some …

Aug. 1, 2020 Online Security: Avoiding a Personal October Surprise | Episode 100

Infosec professional and security blogger Scot Terban joins me to discuss the recent LinkedIn spying case, the degrading environments in …

July 30, 2020 Chinese Espionage in the United States | Episode 99

William Tucker is back to discuss the scale of Chinese espionage in the United States and some of the misconceptions …

July 26, 2020 Shaping Intelligence Products for Maximum Impact | Episode 98

Dean Baratta returns for a discussion about the never-ending need to develop and refine intelligence products so that they meet …

July 23, 2020 When You Can’t Obey | Episode 97

Pauline Shanks Kaurin, Ph.D joins Covert Contact to discuss ethical and moral dilemmas and how we can prepare ourselves for …

July 22, 2020 What’s Happening at the Chinese Consulate in Houston? | Episode 96

Houston rarely finds itself at the center of geopolitical drama but that changed overnight as firefighters and police surrounded the …

July 18, 2020 Covert Contact is Back | Episode 95

Dean Baratta joins Covert Contact as we resume production after a nearly two year hiatus. We touch on some of …

March 22, 2018 The Poisoning of Sergei Skripal | Episode 94

Fred Burton, former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the Diplomatic Security Service and the author of GHOST: Confessions of a …

Feb. 5, 2018 Team Leadership & Ethics | Episode 93

In his 3+ years as Chief of the Analysis Bureau at New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Dean …

Jan. 22, 2018 The Jerry Chun Shing Lee Case | Episode 92

William J. Tucker, a regular contributor on counterintelligence and security topics for Blogs of War and Covert Contact, returns for …

Jan. 9, 2018 North Korean Cryptocurrency Ops | Episode 91

In episode 91 security researcher and Stratfor Global Fellow Scot Terban (AKA Krypt3ia) joins me to discuss North Korea’s sophisticated …

Jan. 1, 2018 Combatting Misinformation | Episode 90

Andrew Trabulsi (entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur) …

Dec. 18, 2017 Evaluating the North Korean Threat | Episode 89

Phil Walter joins returns to the show to look at how the U.S. processes and evaluates the threat posed by …

Dec. 11, 2017 Protecting the British Royal Family | Episode 88

Protecting the British royal family is incredibly difficult. Fred Burton, former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the Diplomatic Security Service …

Dec. 4, 2017 Beyond Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency Investing | Episode 87

Andrew Trabulsi (entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur) …

Nov. 28, 2017 Bullets of Palestine | Episode 86

Author Howard Kaplan returns to Covert Contact to discuss Bullets of Palestine (the second novel in his Jerusalem Spy Series), …

Nov. 20, 2017 Terrorists and Technology | Episode 85

Levi West, Director of Terrorism Studies at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, returns to look at how terrorists leverage (or …

Nov. 13, 2017 Economic Espionage: No One Is Immune | Episode 84

William J. Tucker, a regular contributor on counterintelligence and security topics for Blogs of War and Covert Contact, joins me …

Nov. 6, 2017 Iraq’s Consolidation and the Kurds | Episode 83

Iraq has made surprising gains in its effort to undermine or eliminate Kurdish autonomy since mid-October when we first visited …

Oct. 30, 2017 The Crypto Wars: Update from the Australian Front | Episode 82

Australian freelance journalist, commentator, and broadcaster Stilgherrian is back to discuss the battle over encryption and the seemingly irreconcilable differences …

Oct. 23, 2017 From CIA Case Officer to Rookie Cop | Episode 81

Former CIA Case Officer Patrick Skinner has appeared on Covert Contact several times to discuss intelligence issues and break down …

Oct. 17, 2017 The Kurdish Problem | Episode 80

Phillip Smyth is a researcher at the University of Maryland who focuses on Iran-backed Shiite proxy groups. He is also …

Oct. 16, 2017 Propaganda, Influence, and Disruption | Episode 79

Andrew Trabulsi, a strategy, technology, and intelligence consultant and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise …

Oct. 9, 2017 Australian Cyber Policy | Episode 78

Episode 78 wraps up a full month of focus on Australian defense perspectives with a look at

Oct. 2, 2017 Australian Approaches to Counterterrorism | Episode 77

The third week of episodes focused on Australian security perspectives continues with a discussion about Australia’s approach to counterterrorism with …

Sept. 25, 2017 Australian Special Operations Forces | Episode 76

I’m joined by Colonel Ian Langford, DSC (Two Bar), who has served the Australian Army and Special Operations Command, with …

Sept. 18, 2017 Understanding and Developing Resilience To Information Warfare | Episode 75

Dr. Clint Arizmendi, an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow for the Australian Graduate School of Policing & Security’s Terrorism Studies program …

Sept. 11, 2017 Deep State Conspiracies | Episode 74

Alex Finley, a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, joined me to discuss the rise of deep state …

Sept. 4, 2017 Data, AI, and Ethics | Episode 73

Entrepreneur Evanna Hu joins me to discuss our rapidly evolving relationship with data. The explosion of data streams and technologies …

Aug. 28, 2017 Beyond Russia: Overlooked Counterintelligence Threats | Episode 72

Russian intelligence presents a significant challenge for the United States but it is far from the only threat. There are …

Aug. 20, 2017 System Failure: It Only Gets More Difficult from Here | Episode 71

What if Charlottesville and the dysfunction in Washington are not aberrations? What happens if the challenges facing society and governance …

June 18, 2017 Iran in the Age of Trump | Episode 70

Phillip Smyth is a researcher at the University of Maryland who focuses on Iran-backed Shiite proxy groups. He is also …

June 8, 2017 Securing Data, Communications, and Identity with Keybase | Episode 69

Keybase is a small but ambitious company that aims to make cyrpto available and virtually seamless for everyone. Their approach …

June 5, 2017 Egyptian, Muslim, American | Episode 68

My friend Angie Gad joins me for episode 68 of Covert Contact to discuss growing up as a first generation …

May 29, 2017 The Manchester Attack | Episode 67

Covert Contact returns from hiatus with William J. Tucker, a regular contributor on counterintelligence and security topics for Blogs of …

March 10, 2017 Intelligence Analysis: Feedback, Bias, and Other Challenges | Episode 66

Dean Baratta, Chief of the Analysis Bureau at New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, joins me to discuss …

Feb. 24, 2017 Counterintelligence in the Trump Era | Episode 65

William J. Tucker, regular contributor on counterintelligence topics for Blogs of War and Covert Contact, joins me to discuss the …

Feb. 16, 2017 Exploring Divergent Options | Episode 64

Divergent Options is a new effort to build a body of concise analysis (1,000 words or less) on national security …

Feb. 6, 2017 Understanding the Pace and Scope of Technology Driven Change | Episode 63

Covert Contact is back after a bit of break! Andrew Trabulsi, entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, …

Oct. 10, 2016 Russia, Trump, and Hillary | Episode 62

In episode 62 I look at what may have been the most bizarre presidential debate in U.S. history. Covert Contact …

Sept. 27, 2016 Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump – The First Debate | Episode 61

I’m a little under the weather but here is a short wrap-up of last night’s debate. I’m thinking about producing …

Sept. 20, 2016 Putin’s Struggle for Relevancy and Power | Episode 60

Covert Contact regular William Tucker joins me for a quick look at Putin’s outlook and the challenges he faces despite …

Sept. 11, 2016 Citizen Soldiers: Service and Sacrifice with Wendy R. Anderson | Episode 59

Wendy R. Anderson, Managing Director of Military and National Security Initiatives at Strong Eagle Media, joins me to discuss her …

Aug. 19, 2016 Inside the President’s Daily Brief with David Priess | Episode 58

Dr. David Priess delivered the Presidents Daily Brief during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations and has produced …

Aug. 12, 2016 Fragmented Realities – AV and VR Update | Episode 57

Freelance writer and Zam.com columnist Robert Rath joins me in episode 57 to review the latest advances in virtual and …

July 31, 2016 Russia, Donald Trump, and the 2016 Election | Episode 56

Regular Blogs of War and Covert Contact contributor William Tucker joins me to look at allegations of Russian meddling in …

July 29, 2016 Journalism and Conflict in East Africa | Episode 55

In episode 55 Amanda Sperber joins me to discuss her work as a journalist in East Africa. Amanda has covered …

July 16, 2016 The Nice, France Attack: How Can Counterterrorism Evolve with the Threat | Episode 54

In episode 54 I’m joined again by Patrick Skinner, Director of Special Projects for The Soufan Group. Patrick is a …

July 5, 2016 Building an Intel Shop from the Ground Up | Episode 53

In this episode Dean Baratta, Chief of the Analysis Bureau at New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, joins …

June 20, 2016 Russian Hackers Run Wild on the DNC | Episode 52

Regular Blogs of War and Covert Contact contributor William Tucker joins me to discuss the apparent Russian state-sponsored hack of …

June 13, 2016 The Orlando Shooting and Our Struggle to Make Sense of the Senseless | Episode 51

In episode 51 I’m joined again by Patrick Skinner, Director of Special Projects for The Soufan Group. Patrick is a …

June 12, 2016 Victor in The Rubble: Tackling Intelligence Community Bureaucracy Through Satire | Episode 50

Former CIA Reports Officer Alex Finley joins me in episode 50 to discuss her first novel and the business of …

June 11, 2016 Developing and Leveraging Strategic Foresight | Episode 49

I was recently in Washington D.C. and one of the highlights of the trip was meeting Dr. Mat Burrows. Dr. …

June 6, 2016 Intelligence at the State and Local Level | Episode 48

I attended a domestic terrorism conference hosted by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness in May and …

June 1, 2016 Lockpicking 101 (And Why Your Locks Are Useless) | Episode 47

I recently ran into Daniel Crowley at the BSides San Antonio security conference. He, and other members of Longhorn Lockpicking …

May 30, 2016 Cutting Through the Hybrid Warfare Hype | Episode 46

The conflict in Ukraine sparked a huge surge in interest in hybrid warfare. Phil Walter joins me in this episode …

April 24, 2016 How Will ISIS Evolve and How Will Our Response Evolve with Them? | Episode 45

In episode 45 I’m joined again by Patrick Skinner, Director of Special Projects for The Soufan Group. Patrick is a …

April 18, 2016 Navigating Massive Technological Change | Episode 44

Andrew Trabulsi, entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur, …

April 13, 2016 Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin: Identity, Espionage, and Counterintelligence | Episode 43

Regular Blogs of War and Covert Contact contributor William Tucker joins me to discuss the Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin espionage …

April 11, 2016 The Rise and Challenge of Transnational Crime | Episode 42

Andrew Trabulsi, entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur, …

April 3, 2016 What Did Russia Gain in Syria? | Episode 41

Regular Blogs of War and Covert Contact contributor William Tucker joins me after a long break to discuss Russia’s intervention …

Feb. 16, 2016 Are Ungoverned Spaces Inherently Dangerous? | Episode 40

In this episode Phil Walter joins me to discuss some of the concepts laid out in his recent post on …

Feb. 8, 2016 Russian Strengths – and Weaknesses | Episode 39

We expend vast amounts of analytical energy studying Russia. And we have done so for decades. So why do we …

Jan. 25, 2016 Iran’s Quest for Regional Domination | Episode 38

This episode was recorded just after Iran briefly detained and released 10 American sailors. Researcher Phillip Smyth joined me to …

Jan. 12, 2016 LZ Grace: A Place for Warriors to Heal | Episode 37

This week Lynnette Bukowski joins me to discuss LZ Grace Warriors Retreat. Lynnette, and many volunteers, have transformed a 38 …

Jan. 4, 2016 Saudi Arabia vs. Iran and The Burns Oregon Militia Standoff | Episode 36

William Tucker joins me once again to review the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the militia standoff …

Jan. 1, 2016 Closing Out 2015 and Looking Toward 2016 with William Tucker | Episode 35

Regular contributor William Tucker joined me for the final episode of 2015. We discussed holiday terror alerts, Poland’s unusual raid …

Dec. 26, 2015 Art in Diplomacy and Conflict | Episode 34

Dr. Julia Tatiana Bailey is an art historian specializing in visual politics in the Cold War and art as propaganda, …

Dec. 22, 2015 Understanding and Influencing Enemy Behavior | Episode 33

Phil Walter joins me again to discuss behavior. Why do the actors we seek to influence, friend and foe alike, …

Dec. 18, 2015 Video Games, Virtual Reality, and Conflict with Robert Rath | Episode 32

In episode 32 of Covert Contact freelance writer Robert Rath joins me to discuss video games and the very real …

Dec. 14, 2015 Understanding the Limits of Intelligence and Counterterrorism | Episode 31

In episode 31 I’m joined by Patrick Skinner, Director of Special Projects for The Soufan Group. Patrick is a former …

Dec. 7, 2015 The San Bernardino Attack, Small Scale Terrorism, and ISIS | Episode 30

Regular contributor on terrorism and counterintelligence topics, William Tucker, joins me again to review the horrific and unusual attacks in …

Nov. 30, 2015 Islamism and Democracy: Finding Models for the Middle East and Preserving Our Own | Episode 29

In episode 29 Brookings Institution senior fellow and author of Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New …

Nov. 26, 2015 Thanksgiving | Episode 28

Normally I’d spend this day surrounded by friends and family. I hope that’s what many of you are doing. But …

Nov. 24, 2015 Turkey Shot Down a Russian Jet – Where Do We Go From Here? | Episode 27

Putin called today’s downing of a Russian Su-24 by a Turkish F16 a “stab in the back” but it this …

Nov. 23, 2015 What You Are Getting Wrong About ISIS | Episode 26

Northeastern University professor and terrorism theorist Max Abrahms excels at poking holes in the conventional wisdom and he joins me …

Nov. 20, 2015 Catching Russian Spies with Former Double Agent Naveed Jamali | Episode 25

In episode 25 I’m talking to Naveed Jamali, former double agent, and co-author of How to Catch a Russian Spy: …

Nov. 16, 2015 The Paris Attacks and Europe’s Security Challenges | Episode 24

William J. Tucker joins me again for a high level look at the Paris attacks and the impact that instability, …

Nov. 13, 2015 War and the New Normal: Phil Walter on Life After War | Episode 23

In episode 23 Phil Walter joins me to talk about his transition from the the battlefield, to home, and eventually …

Nov. 8, 2015 Supporting Independent Art in Afghanistan: Francesca Recchia Updates from Kabul | Episode 22

Regular Covert Contact listeners will recognize Francesca from episodes 9 and 17. This episode follows the same general format. We …

Nov. 2, 2015 The Damascus Cover and the Psychology of Spies with Howard Kaplan | Episode 21

Howard Kaplan wrote his debut espionage novel, The Damascus Cover, nearly forty years ago. He joins me to discuss the …

Oct. 26, 2015 Government Email Problems, Wikileaks, Russia, Drone Leaks, NASA Security and Other Counterintelligence Nightmares | Episode 20

Covert Contact kicks off again with an admittedly rambling, but hopefully entertaining, start as I review a number of high …

March 27, 2015 Encryption as the New Norm: Discussing A Changing Internet with ProtonMail Co-Founder Andy Yen | Episode 19

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been evaluating ProtonMail. This service is part of a new generation of tools …

March 22, 2015 The Battle Between Encryption and Mass Surveillance with Former FBI Agent David Gomez | Episode 18

I emailed retired FBI agent David Gomez from my new ProtonMail account to propose a podcast about encryption and its …

March 18, 2015 Life, and Art, in Afghanistan with Francesca Recchia | Episode 17

In this episode I catch up with Francesca Recchia to get an update on life in Kabul, Afghanistan where, mostly …

March 16, 2015 Why Terrorism Fails: A Discussion with Max Abrahms | Episode 16

We know that terrorism succeeds at terrorizing its targets but does it help the groups behind it achieve their political …

March 10, 2015 Hillary Clinton’s Email Server: Dissecting the Risks with William Tucker | Episode 15

William J. Tucker joins me again to discuss Hillary Clinton’s decision to manage her own email services while Secretary of …

March 9, 2015 Andy Priest on the Importance of Developing New International Crisis Policing Models | Episode 14

Policing is on the agenda again in episode 14. In this episode I talk to Andy Priest about his international …

March 5, 2015 Scriven King on Balancing Security, Values, and Public Perception in Modern Policing | Episode 13

In episode 13 I speak to security blogger/podcaster, and Blogs of War contributor, Scriven King about some of the challenges …

Jan. 30, 2015 Counterintelligence: William J. Tucker Breaks Down the Challenges | Episode 12

In this episode I’m talking to William J. Tucker about counterintelligence. It is a complex discipline that is often misunderstood …

Dec. 19, 2014 Counterterrorism Challenges – Pondering Seemingly Unsolvable Problems with Phillip Smyth | Episode 11

The first Covert Contact interview features University of Maryland Laboratory for Computational Cultural Dynamics researcher Phillip Smyth. Phillip is also …

Dec. 10, 2014 The Senate Torture Report | Episode 10

It is always disheartening when America does not live up to the standards many of us expect and in the …

Nov. 28, 2014 Art in Afghanistan: Francesca Recchia Updates from Kabul | Episode 9

Episode nine focuses on the unusual work of Francesca Recchia. Francesca is an independent researcher and writer who has worked …

Nov. 14, 2014 The Navy SEAL Who Killed Osama bin Laden and the Heroes You’ll Never Know | Episode 8

In episode eight I look at the case of Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill and the culture that lures men and …

Nov. 4, 2014 Why Daesh’s Social Media Campaign is a Massive Failure | Episode 7

In episode 7 I’m pushing back at the notion that Daesh’s social media visibility equals success. The group might have …

Oct. 30, 2014 Robots and the Future of Warfare: The Advantage Might Not Lie with the Inventors | Episode 6

In episode 6 I look at the evolution of unmanned platforms and speculate about the impact that they could have …

Oct. 25, 2014 Lone Wolf Terrorism and the Importance of Perspective | Episode 5

In episode 5 I take a look at the real impact of lone wolf terror attacks, why ISIS seems to …

Oct. 22, 2014 What the Attack in Ottawa Teaches Us About Terrorists – And Ourselves | Episode 4

As promised earlier today I recorded brief thoughts about today’s attack. I had originally intended this to be a discussion …

Oct. 20, 2014 Crypto Wars: Winners, Losers, and the Case for Compromise | Episode 3

This week I’m focusing on a single critical topic – the struggle between privacy advocates and governments over cryptography. This …

Oct. 14, 2014 The State of Twitter, the Struggle to Understand, and The Perils of Technology for Terrorists | Episode 2

This week, I’m offering my take on the notion than Twitter is broken. David Auerbach did a fine job of …

Oct. 6, 2014 Intelligence Failures, Agent Storm, and eDiplomacy Trolling | Episode 1

Welcome to the launch of Covert Contact: The Blogs of War Podcast. In episode 1 I am looking at the …