Episodes

  • Shortwave Numbers Stations | Episode 118

    Shortwave Numbers Stations | Episode 118
    Oct 1 2020
    Scot Terban joined me to discuss the use of shortwave numbers stations, recently declassified KGB investigative techniques for identifying recipients of those broadcasts, how shortwave has changed with the introduction of the internet, and technologies such as software defined radio (SDR) that make capturing mysterious signals affordable (sometimes free) and easier than ever.
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    32 mins
  • Chinese Spies in US Law Enforcement - And Everywhere Else | Episode 117

    Chinese Spies in US Law Enforcement - And Everywhere Else | Episode 117
    Sep 26 2020
    The regular counterintelligence chat with William Tucker is a day late but full of new Chinese espionage activity in the NYPD, the EU, and beyond. We also touch on intelligence history and why literature from the Middle Ages or beyond is not only fascinating but still relevant.
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    31 mins
  • The Threat of Fake Spies | Episode 116

    The Threat of Fake Spies | Episode 116
    Sep 18 2020
    William Tucker returns to discuss the incredible case of Garrison Courtney and Alpha-214. Posing as a CIA NOC Courtney was able to engineer a scheme that duped numerous beltway contractors, intelligence officials, former military officers and others.
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    24 mins
  • Election Threats and Disrupting Chinese Espionage | Episode 115

    Election Threats and Disrupting Chinese Espionage | Episode 115
    Sep 11 2020
    William Tucker joins me for our weekly counterintelligence chat. In this episode we discuss the recent report for Microsoft that details Russian, Chinese, and Iranian attacks on individuals and organizations tied to our presidential campaigns and the recent move to revoke the visas of more than 1,000 Chinese grad students and researchers who have been deemed security risks.
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    25 mins
  • French Officer Busted Spying on NATO for GRU & Other Espionage Cases | 114

    French Officer Busted Spying on NATO for GRU & Other Espionage Cases | 114
    Sep 4 2020
    William Tucker joins me to discuss two high profile cases this week, sloppy Chinese tradecraft, and why it always pays to visit the FBI before the FBI visits you.
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    24 mins
  • Russians Targeted Tesla Gigafactory in Ransomware Plot | Episode 113

    Russians Targeted Tesla Gigafactory in Ransomware Plot | Episode 113
    Sep 2 2020
    Scot Terban is back to discuss the plot, common points of vulnerability, and what you can do it, like a Tesla employee, you find yourself in the middle of a Russian criminal plot.
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    33 mins
  • Intelligence Failures, Agent Storm, and eDiplomacy Trolling | Episode 1

    Intelligence Failures, Agent Storm, and eDiplomacy Trolling | Episode 1
    Aug 29 2020
    Welcome to the launch of Covert Contact: The Blogs of War Podcast. In episode 1 I am looking at the notion of intelligence failures and why they’re often more complicated than they seem – or not failures at all. I’m also taking a look at the new biography of Murad Storm, the towering red-haired Danish agent who infiltrated al Qaeda. Agent Storm: My Life Inside al Qaeda and the CIA is a fascinating read that raises many questions about our ability to infiltrate radical Islamic groups. And then a discussion about the darker side of eDiplomacy. Do we really want world leaders trolling each other on Twitter?
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    16 mins
  • Texas A&M, NASA, and Chinese Espionage | Episode 112

    Texas A&M, NASA, and Chinese Espionage | Episode 112
    Aug 28 2020
    William Tucker joins me to discuss the Zhengdong Cheng case, how Chinese espionage might need to evolve, global awareness of the scope of China’s spying, and how organizations can protect themselves if they haven’t started evaluating their own risk.
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    26 mins