Some of the most important meetings in espionage last less than a second. If you want me to believe you are who you say you are, or that you have the clearance you claim, I’ll need cold, hard proof. Why? Your mission or identity has been fully discovered. So you need backstops: the names and addresses of front companies that support your legend. You can’t expect the world to take you at face value. AssetĪ secret source of information or operational assistance, usually an agent, but occasionally someone totally unaware they’re aiding an intelligence service. You’ll need to conduct anti-surveillance drills to find out if people are watching you, without letting them know you know. If you think you’re being watched, you’ll need to check without revealing your suspicions. AnalystĪs an expert in your field, your job is to obtain crucial insights from intelligence, then write reports and give presentations to spymasters.

You’ll need an alias - a false identity - to conceal a genuine one in the physical or digital worlds. Your job is to manage (or run) an agent operation, which might include recruiting, instructing, paying, debriefing, or advising your agent. While the FBI calls certain officers 'agents', most intelligence services prefer 'officers'. AgentĪs an agent, you work secretly for an intelligence service, offering secrets or operational support. You’ll learn the difference between blowback and playback, dead drop and dangle, mole and microdot. Top intelligence officers have helped SPYSCAPE create this glossary to share the tricks of their tradecraft. The language of espionage: get this spy lingo right and you might even pass for an intelligence officer yourself

Honey trap espionage definition