- Counterespionage
- The practice of detecting, preventing and defeating attempts to obtain confidential information without authorisation. See what is counterespionage.
- Counterintelligence
- The broader, strategic effort to understand and neutralise the information-gathering capabilities of an adversary, beyond any single incident.
- Espionage
- The covert acquisition of protected or confidential information without authorisation.
- Corporate espionage
- Espionage conducted for commercial advantage rather than national interest. Also called industrial espionage. See corporate espionage.
- Industrial espionage
- Another term for corporate espionage: the covert acquisition of a business's confidential information.
- TSCM
- Technical Surveillance Countermeasures: the systematic inspection of an environment for unauthorised surveillance devices and vulnerabilities. See TSCM.
- Bug sweep
- The common term for a TSCM inspection of a space for covert surveillance devices.
- Covert listening device
- A concealed device used to capture audio, often called a bug, which may transmit or store what it records.
- Surveillance
- The systematic observation of people, places or communications to gather information.
- Countersurveillance
- Measures taken to detect and frustrate surveillance directed against a person or organisation.
- Insider threat
- The risk that a person with legitimate access misuses it to cause harm, deliberately, negligently or under pressure. See insider threat.
- Insider risk
- The broader exposure created by trusted insiders, encompassing intent, capability and the conditions that enable harm.
- Behavioural intelligence
- The structured use of behavioural science and analysis to identify early indicators of deception, manipulation or misaligned intent. See behavioural intelligence.
- Deception detection
- The disciplined assessment of communication and behaviour for indicators of deception, always weighed in context rather than as isolated tells.
- Credibility assessment
- Structured, impartial scrutiny of an account or statement for internal consistency and alignment with known facts.
- Forensic linguistics
- The analysis of written and verbal language to assess authorship, intent and credibility.
- Impression management
- The ways individuals and organisations construct and project a chosen version of themselves, relevant to detecting deception in public communication.
- OSINT
- Open-Source Intelligence: information gathered from publicly available sources, and the assessment of the exposure it creates.
- HUMINT
- Human Intelligence: information gathered through interpersonal contact rather than technical means.
- SIGINT
- Signals Intelligence: information derived from intercepted communications and electronic signals.
- Elicitation
- The subtle drawing out of information through conversation, often without the source realising what they have revealed.
- Social engineering
- Manipulating people into divulging information or granting access, by exploiting trust, authority or routine.
- Pretexting
- Using a fabricated scenario or identity to obtain information or access.
- Tailgating
- Gaining unauthorised physical entry by following an authorised person through a controlled door.
- Threat actor
- An individual or group that poses a risk to an organisation's people, information or operations.
- Vulnerability assessment
- A structured examination of how risk arises across people, processes and environment, and where exposure accumulates.
- Physical penetration testing
- Controlled, agreed testing of how physical security controls and behaviours hold under realistic conditions.
- OPSEC
- Operational Security: the practice of protecting information by controlling the small signals that, combined, reveal sensitive activity.
- NLJD
- Non-Linear Junction Detector: a TSCM tool that detects electronic components, whether or not a device is powered or transmitting.
- Exfiltration
- The unauthorised removal of information or data from an organisation.
- Tradecraft
- The methods and techniques used in espionage and counterespionage work.
- Due diligence
- Independent verification of a provider's experience, credentials, integrity and standing before engagement. See choosing a provider.
- Phoenixing
- Closing a company to avoid its debts or liabilities and continuing the same activity through a new entity, sometimes under a similar trading name. A red flag when assessing a provider's history.
- Economic espionage
- Espionage targeting economic or commercial information, overlapping closely with corporate espionage.
- Deepfake
- Synthetic audio or video generated by AI to convincingly imitate a real person, a growing factor in deception and impersonation. See AI and surveillance.