BBC Security Correspondent. Author: 'Russians Among Us' ' and 'Secret Pigeon Service', 'Intercept/Cyberspies' and 'MI6' - views my own
Jul 6, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
NEW - In an unprecedented move, FBI and MI5 Directors make their first ever joint public appearance to warn over the 'immense' threat from China. They spoke in MI5 HQ at Thames House to a group of business and university leaders as well as journalists.
bbc.co.uk/news/world-asi…
FBI Director Wray said China was drawing "all sorts of lessons" from conflict in Ukraine. This included trying to insulate themselves from any future sanctions. If China did invade Taiwan, the economic disruption would be much greater than that seen this year, he said.
Mar 23, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
New-Russian Lt. Colonel captured by Ukrainians, a Western official confirms.“In the area in which he was captured, there was a significant amount of electronic warfare equipment. It's unclear whether he was personally connected with that, but it's something we're looking into”
Overall, six Russian Generals are now thought to have been killed, the most senior is a Lt General who was commander of the 8th Combined Arms Army. All six will have been replaced, the western official says.
Mar 20, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
‘Russia's leader Vladimir Putin is trapped in a closed world of his own making, Western spies believe. And that worries them.’ - My look at the struggle for intelligence agencies to understand Putin’s mind and his intentions. bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…
"Putin, intelligence officials say, is isolated in a bubble of his own making, which very little outside information penetrates...one Western official said Mr Putin may still not have the insight into how badly things are going for his own troops that Western intelligence has"
Mar 11, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Is the fallout starting for Russia's spies? V. interesting story from leading expert on Russian intelligence. FSB 5th Service is in charge of political intelligence and operations in Ukraine. If its head is under house arrest, then its a recognition of how wrong things have gone
5th Service was in charge of plans for coups and political control of Ukraine as well as building agent networks. Head Sergei Beseda had personally traveled to Ukraine in 2014 and his team had been expanded in the run-to the invasion. bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…
Mar 4, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
NEW - Russian commanders have been killed after they felt they had to move closer to the front lines, western officials say. Deputy Commander of the 41st combined arms Army killed by sniper fire. A divisional commander and a regimental commander also killed.
Russian commanders moving further forward to get more control and impetus behind operations which have, in some cases, badly stalled. Those commanders are trying to impose their own personality on the battlefield but this in turn, is placing them at greater risk, w. officials say
Mar 2, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
“It turns out that the next war was not fought in cyberspace after all.” - @ciaranmartinoxf looks at the relatively low level of military-linked cyber activity so far. My guess is that when shooting starts, the traditional military men in Moscow elbow aside the cyber operators.
Russia has shown in the past they can take down a TV station with a cyber attack - TV5Monde in France 2015 was taken off air. But in a full conflict, a missile attack is a more reliable option and there's no worry about deniability.
Feb 8, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
NEW - UK Foreign Office hit by a 'serious cyber security incident' - details have not emerged through any formal announcement but through the discovery of a tender document saying BAE Systems Applied Intelligence was paid £467,325 for incident response
thestack.technology/foreign-office…
Not clear who was behind it-but hackers did get inside systems before being detected. Not understood to be classified systems though.FCDO: “We do not comment on security but have systems in place to detect and defend against potential cyber incidents”
NEW - US Intelligence publishes its unclassified assessment on Covid Origins. Key point:
"After examining all available intelligence reporting and other information, though, the IC remains divided on the most likely origin of COVID-19"
Four intelligence community elements+National Intelligence Council "assess with low confidence" initial infection was most likely caused by natural exposure to an animal...One element assesses with "moderate confidence" that first infection most likely result of lab incidents
Jul 16, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
BREAKING - UK Statement: "On the basis of extensive analysis, the Government has concluded that it is almost certain that Russian actors sought to interfere in the 2019 General Election through the online amplification of illicitly acquired and leaked Government documents"
"Sensitive Government documents relating to the UK-US Free Trade Agreement were illicitly acquired before the 2019 General Election and disseminated online via the social media platform Reddit."
Oct 4, 2018 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
Breaking - Dutch intelligence (with help of British) disrupted a Russian GRU cyber operation targeting OPCW on April 13th. Four Russian intelligence officers escorted out of country.
MORE - Investigation of laptop of one of four Russian intelligence officers found it was also active in Brazil, Switzerland and Malaysia. In Malaysia it was used to target the investigation into MH-17 crash.
