From the course: Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: How Thinking Like a Spy Hunter Can Protect You from Cyberattacks

Amateurs attack machines, professionals attack people

From the course: Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: How Thinking Like a Spy Hunter Can Protect You from Cyberattacks

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Amateurs attack machines, professionals attack people

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- During my time as an FBI ghost, I hunted spies from Russian agents to rogue US citizens. The one thing all spies have in common, they are masters of deception, constantly covering their tracks and watching for the hunters. A single mistake can have devastating consequences, which is why I developed the PAID method, Preparation, Assessment, Investigation, and Decision, keys to catching a spy. When I was an FBI ghost, I could follow a target from sunrise to sunset without being noticed. I knew how to blend in, hide in plain sight, and look unremarkable. My training allowed me to track every move, what someone ate, who they met, and what they avoided. I learned their trade craft so well that it looked like I'd practiced it longer than they had. I didn't need to flash my badge because, like a true ghost, I stayed in the background. By the time the FBI agents swooped in, the target had no idea I was ever there. This ability to think like the enemy is the foundation of counterintelligence. The cardinal rule is simple. Watch those with access to the keys to the kingdom. It's about trusting, but verifying. We ghosts learn all the tactics of our adversaries, from foreign intelligence officers to terrorist cells, so we can predict their moves and stop them before they strike. That's the heart of counterintelligence, countering deception with deception. Now, let's apply this to cybercrime. Criminals today use many of the same tactics spies have used for years. To stop cyberattacks, we need to think like our adversaries, anticipate their moves before they strike. By understanding their methods of deception and manipulation, we can counter their attacks with our own tactics. Just like hunting spies, stopping cybercriminals requires deep knowledge, preparation, and the ability to blend into their mindset. In the end, just as spies once hunted government secrets, cybercriminals are hunting for our data. To stop them we need to become cyberspy hunters, learning their tricks and staying one step ahead, but before we can learn to hunt them, we need to learn how to spot them. In the next chapter, you'll learn how to think like a spy and put yourself into the mind of the attacker.

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