Survive Like a Spy by Jason Hanson

• But in the real world of spies, things aren’t always what they seem.
• What do spies really do? They recruit people who have information that the U.S. government feels can be beneficial to our national security.
• HUMINT is simply any information that can be gathered from human sources.
• the number one thing a case officer is looking for in an agent is a person with access.
• Money problems, revenge, and anger are sometimes reasons a person decides to spy for the United States.
• One of the most attractive carrots to dangle in the espionage game is the promise of a fully funded top-notch education for a recruit’s son or daughter at one of America’s finest colleges or universities.
• SPY TRAIT #1: THE RIGHT MIND-SET
• Things aren’t always cut-and-dry; you can’t plan everything in advance.
• SPY TRAIT # 2: SPIES ARE EMPATHETIC
• SPY TRAIT # 3: NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEE, YOU DON’T SHOW FEAR
• SPY TRAIT # 4: SPIES ARE SOCIAL PEOPLE
• SPY TRAIT # 5: SPIES UNDERSTAND THAT MANIPULATING PEOPLE IS PART OF THE JOB
• The ability to manipulate a person, to get him to do what you want while thinking it’s actually what he wants, makes the difference between succeeding and not succeeding.
• SPY TRAIT # 6: SPIES ARE FLEXIBLE AND READY FOR ANYTHING
• I soon learned that if things go horribly wrong there are two ways out—you can talk your way out or walk your way out.
• A spy must decide his best course of action and execute immediately, and often alone.
• Assume nothing. Never go against your gut. Everyone is potentially under opposition control. Don’t look back; you are never completely alone. Go with the flow, blend in. Vary your pattern and stay within your cover. Lull them into a sense of complacency. Don’t harass the opposition. Pick the time and place for action. Keep your options open.
• RESEARCH GIVES YOU AN EDGE
• Research can be the key to success, and I believe this is true for everyone, no matter what your end goal.
• KNOW THE AREA
• Always make it a point to be familiar with your surroundings—at work, at home, at school, and wherever you’re traveling.
• Being familiar with your surroundings can also help you notice when something is off—signaling that you need to be aware of potential danger.
• Spying is much messier and less precise than you might expect.
• A dead drop is a method of exchanging information between a case officer and an agent. An item (notes, tool, codebook) is inserted into a concealment device, and then dropped in a predetermined place for the other person to later retrieve.
• Like any good spy, I always have a camera ready,
• TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES
• Spies use ordinary cameras that take extraordinary film. Since most of the pictures we take are incriminating, the film is a special variety that can be developed only by the CIA. If I’m ever caught and my camera is taken, the film contains nothing that could get me killed or land me in jail for the rest of my life.
• TACTIC #1: COVER STOPS AND HUNKER-DOWN SITES
• Please always remember, if you ever feel your life is truly in danger, call the police immediately.
• Cover Stops Can Be Anything, but They Need to Make Sense
• A cover stop is any public place you can pop into.
• But preplanning cover stops or hunker-down sites is easy, and it could keep you safe. Simply note various places near your home or workplace where you could go if you think you’re being followed.
• Having a plan you can quickly execute in a dangerous situation can keep you from ending up in harm’s way.
• TACTIC #2: THE SAFE SITE
• The most important thing you need to know about creating a safe site is that it’s anything you need it to be.
• TACTIC #3: THE CACHE
• The Safest Cache: A Storage Facility
• The most important element of a cache, for practical purposes, is that it is located away from your primary residence.
• You want your cache of extra supplies to be outside of your home, but easily accessible.
• If you really want to bury a cache, the safest way to protect your items is by building a simple PVC cache.
• Wear gloves when creating your cache, or wipe down surfaces with WD-40, to eliminate fingerprints.
• Spies can’t approach a Russian directly because Russians are immediately suspicious of Americans.
• not knowing a city can ruin an op—or even get you killed.
• One of the first things I do when I start to case a new city is memorize multiple routes to and from all the places I’ll be going.
• REASSESS YOUR SURROUNDINGS
• You may think you know your town like the back of your hand. The truth is, our environments change all the time, and it’s easy to miss something unless you make it a point to pay attention.
• Make a point of reassessing your surroundings on a regular basis.
• An intrusion point is a place where you can pop inside, forcing the person to follow you in if they want to know what you’re doing. If they do, you’ve just confirmed with as much certainty as you can that you’re under surveillance.
• Tradecraft says, “Never trust anyone,” but that’s not something I buy into. There are many times when allowing myself to trust someone has saved my life during an op.
• BE READY FOR PLAN B
• A witting spy is knowingly accepting compensation for the information he’s giving to his agent, and he’s aware that he’s actually spying for the U.S. government.
• Spies always follow a surveillance detection route after a meeting.
• All it takes is one careless move to ruin an operation and get someone killed.
• A spy has to be vigilant—always.
• Covert communication is really an art. While simplicity is key when using signals, it’s something that must be practiced regularly to execute properly.
• Developing simple signals and code words of your own is an excellent way to communicate with your family when you feel like you might be in danger.
• One encounter = an accident; two times = a coincidence; three times = enemy action.
• If someone is still behind you after three or four turns, it’s a safe bet that you’re under surveillance.
• Making a stop while on an SDR can be a powerful tool.
• A reversal is a turn that allows you to look back to see if you’re being followed.
• ALWAYS NOTE EXITS AND ALTERNATIVE EXITS
• Get in the habit of noticing exit points when you go out in public. It could save your life someda
• Never escalate a situation—always attempt to diffuse it.
• Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are a major concern in the age of terrorism.
• When the blast occurs, the first and most important thing you need to do is hit the ground and stay as low as possible.
• It’s human nature to freeze—but in many cases, doing nothing and being in a state of shock can get you killed. But equally important, while it’s crucial that you react, running away isn’t necessarily the right thing to do. You have to carefully observe your immediate surroundings first.
• The rule of thumb with an explosion is this: if there was one bomb, there’s probably more.
• Unstable people can be very dangerous,
• Opposition creates more opposition.
• You shouldn’t approach the group that’s bothering you if you feel you are in physical danger—again, that’s a job for the police.
• Always Remember: MORE AWARENESS = MORE DILIGENCE = MORE DETERRENCE
• Listen to your children. Children are incredibly observant. If your child notes that someone in your immediate vicinity has a weapon, pay attention and get out of the area immediately.
• Always pay attention to individuals who might be following you, and never drive directly to your house if you suspect you are being followed.
• Always pay attention to people who’ve been in an area longer than you have.
• Never show up acting like you know everything.
• ANTICIPATE
• Always anticipate potential outcomes and prepare for each one.
• FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING—DEVELOP A GOOD RAPPORT
• The goal of that introduction is to present yourself as an interesting enough person that you’ll leave having the “first meet” already set up.
• Avoid giving advice. What people want is approval.
• USE THE “WEAPONS OF MASS INFLUENCE,” OR RASCLS—RECIPROCATION, AUTHORITY, SCARCITY, CONSISTENCY (ALSO COMMITMENT), LIKING, AND SOCIAL PROOF
• Human beings are complicated.
• When you give a person something early on in a relationship, it usually creates a sense of obligation.
• People are drawn to things that are rare or scarce.
• We don’t trust people who aren’t consistent, that’s just common sense.
• The art of elicitation involves manipulating a conversation so that the target starts to give away information that’s of great interest, without necessarily realizing he’s done so.
• When done well, elicitation is so subtle that the target will likely have no idea what’s happening.
• Humans are wired to want to appear knowledgeable and have a tendency to want to correct inaccurate information.
• Delivering false statements tends to prompt people to answer with correct information.
• Be Aware of Sharing Knowledge When You Shouldn’t
• It’s never easy to tell the difference between a casual conversation and elicitation, and to complicate things people generally want to be polite.
• You’ve got to be careful not to “heat up the area” too much when working an op.
• “Violence of action” means to use all strength, speed, surprise, and aggression to fight your enemy.
• The actual abduction is one of the two most dangerous phases in the kidnapping process. (If you survive the abduction, the rescue will be the other part of the process where you are also at high risk of being killed.)
• There are two kinds of kidnapping. In the first kind, you’re a high-value target and your kidnappers believe they will receive a large ransom for your return.
• In the other kind of kidnapping, you are being snatched solely for access to your bank account or car.
• The longer you’re held captive, the greater the chance you’ll get out alive.
• The secret to accessing restricted areas is simple—just act like you’re supposed to be there.
• By having a clearer idea of how you perceive things, you can move through the OODA loop process faster.
• Becoming aware of how you process information can have a huge impact on outcomes—whether you’re dealing with a big business decision or an imminent threat.
• Build Relationships Everywhere You Go
• During an introduction, when the other person says their name, say it back to them while giving them a big but sincere smile.
• I recommend finding out where the U.S. embassy or consulate is located before you travel outside the United States.
• A P100 Mask: In the event of a chemical attack, this mask can actually filter out much of the harmful chemicals, as well as ash, dust, and other toxins that will be floating around in the air.
• Keeping a simple pair of safety goggles handy will enable you to keep your eyes open, making it easier for you to escape to safety.
• THE BATHTUB SPOUT: Simply stick the item you want to hide up the bathtub spout, and then pack it with toilet paper so it doesn’t fall out.
• THE SHOWER CURTAIN ROD: This takes a bit more time and energy, but it’s a good hiding place. Use your multitool to pry off one of the ends of the curtain rod, and stash your cash or valuables in the tube.
• Don’t sabotage a situation because you refuse to be flexible.
• Double-check details when making plans to avoid mistakes that can cost you frustration, time, money, or life.
• A dead drop is a standard way of passing something along to another person covertly.
• Being able to recognize people in different environments is a very important skill for a spy to have, and it’s also incredibly difficult to master
• WEIGH YOUR RISKS AND REWARDS
• There’s no point in taking a risk just for risk’s sake.
• Compare the risks to the rewards before going forward with decisions that could have unwelcome or even dire consequences.
• YOU CAN’T CONTROL EVERYTHING
• You can never stop thinking about new ways to solve problems.
• Always have a self-defense tool on your person to protect yourself. The number one tool that I carry, and so do my family members and clients, is the Tactical Pen.
• SOMETIMES A SIMPLE WAY IS A BETTER WAY
• Don’t dismiss an opportunity because it might seem too simple or too small.
• Sometimes the best way to get a person to trust you is by asking someone to give you a personal introduction.
• Password entropy is a measure of how predictable a password is and how hard it would be for a criminal to crack.
• Email was never meant to be secure.
• Using a VPN is a must for anyone who uses a public Wi-Fi to do work, and I never surf public Wi-Fi without using my VPN.
• Don’t simply open every email you receive. If something seems off to you, do not open it. Delete the email.
• I highly recommend having an emergency backup plan when it comes to water.
• Have a high-quality, easy-to-use filter ready to go:
• Never engage with another person unless it's the only way to save your life
• can’t stress enough how important it is to first try to de-escalate a situation before using self-defense tactics.
• it’s also important that you remember that nearly anything can be a weapon.
• Pro tip: If you are traveling and want to create a weapon using a sock, just buy an ordinary can of soda and stick it inside. (They’ll even give you the can when you’re on an airplane.)
• Replace your key chain with a long strap. This turns your keys into a flail.
• Whatever weapon you decide to use, remember that your best bet is always to use the weapon to create an opportunity to escape to safety.
• Most doors today are hollow and thin—and provide almost nothing in the way of protection. If at all possible, replace hollow doors with solid wood or steel doors that would be much harder to break down. If you want to take things up a notch, consider replacing a wooden doorjamb with a sturdier steel one.
• I highly recommend making a point of practicing your security measures everywhere you go.