Ziya Gokalp​​​​​​​

Intelligence

The integration of digital technologies into everyday life has increased at an extraordinary pace in the world recent years, with the use of social media and other digital apps make vulnerabilities for people, companies and public institutions. 

While this trend offers a wide range of opportunities for development, the freedom of expression, political participation, and civic action, it also increases the risk of potentially vulnerable people, companies, public institution being exposed to terrorist online content produced by terrorist and violent extremist groups online.

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From this perspective, today cyber attacks are used both as terrorist acts and are extensively used by marginal groups to data leakage and denail of corporate systems.

At this point, threat intelligence usage has become critically important. Intelligence activities have a history as old as human history. The need to obtain intelligence is rooted in human biological origins and has been used throughout history for survival and have power.

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Today, both commercial companies and government institutions use intelligence to maintain operations, prevent information leaks, estabilish business continuity and anticipate potential attacks. Intelligence is not only technology oriented concept, also human-based (such as HUMINT), encompassing physical access, even intelligence is also used for market research, business investments, understand consumer behaviours and political decisions and approcahes.

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To give examples of a physical security breach as part of intelligence gathering; smart building exploits, biometric hacks, audio surveillance, and drone surveillances would be good examples.

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Physical security is just as crucial as cyber security, with emerging threats, making physical red teaming essential and simulations for identifying vulnerabilities. Physical security vulnerabilities pose just as significant a risk to companies, especially with the increasing convergence of physical and digital systems. Physical red teaming is a cutting-edge approach that simulates real-world attacks on physical security measures. The goal is to uncover potential weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. This team also use 'intelligence' methodologies.

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Physical security vulnerabilities pose just as significant a risk to companies, especially with the increasing convergence of physical and digital systems. Physical red teaming is a cutting-edge approach that simulates real-world attacks on physical security measures. The goal is to uncover potential weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. HUMINT and its espionage approaches gives us a change to establish relationships with the people who works for companies and institutions to get info for unauthorized accessing.

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During a red teaming exercise, security professionals attempt to breach physical security measures like locks, surveillance systems, access control, or personnel protocols. So, before this simulation it's important to use intelligence which comes from HUMINT activities. Corporations, government agencies, and other organizations with high-value assets often use this type of red teaming, but small businesses can also benefit from physical red teaming.

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Today, there are also attackers who play roles as employees and/or suppliers, gaining unauthorized access and gathering information about company vulnerabilities to exploit commercial information.

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These attackers can influence company/institution employees through HUMINT and espionage activities, thereby accessing company information and/or gathering intelligence on company vulnerabilities.

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Therefore, it is essential for companies and institutions to conduct intelligence and use counterintelligence methodologies to be prepared for such potential situations.

On the other hand, as I mentioned above, some of the terrorist attacks are based on cyber attacks and technics. Cyber terrorism (also known as digital terrorism) is defined as disruptive attacks by recognised terrorist organisations against computer systems with the intent of generating alarm, panic, or the physical disruption of the information system. Attacker can manipulate signaling system, air traffic control, nuclear power plant systems, etc. and can access their control systems.

Briefly, Intelligence is a major topic today for every different countiries and companies. Intellignce is serious and scientific method, has scientific processes, and must be conducted scientifically. These processes also include psychological and manipulative methods even understand attachers behavious.

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From this perspective, I believe that it’s important to understand terrorism and counterterrorism concepts, behaviors of attackers, psychology, ideology, motivations and technics, tactics in terms of protecting the systems & data of companies and institutions.

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So, ‘intelligence and security studies’ would be most important and powerful parts of it.

In the light of this information, I really interested in ‘security studies’ and ‘Intelligence’ concept as a major part of my occupation and always develop myself by getting different and academic trainings.