All About Spies

My James Bond Moment

Welcome to Tuesday and another issue of Spies, Lies & Cybercrime. Thank you for sticking with me, and welcome to those who are brand new to the newsletter.

I love the month of October. Those who have known me for decades are aware of my excitement for Halloween. I suppose that as a former FBI Ghost, who spent many of his days swapping disguises to blend into situations and follow targets, Halloween appeals to my inner-covert nature. Anyone out there dressing as a spy on October 31?

October is also the best month of football (HTTR), taps are full of Oktoberfest beer, apple orchards are ripe for the picking, and here in the Washington, DC area, the trees display a riot of color that takes your breath away. October is also the month for James Bond Day (yes, we have a day for everything in the United States). In honor of the day (October 5) and this issue’s number, I decided to tell my James Bond Moment.

The FBI sent me undercover in the most unique case the Bureau had ever run, to investigate and catch the most damaging spy in the FBI’s history. Robert Hanssen was a decorated, 25-year veteran FBI Agent. He was also Russia’s top spy in the US intelligence community who brutally destroyed counterintelligence for over 22 years.

My mission was clear: Get Robert Hanssen out of his office—and away from his precious Palm Pilot—long enough for a tech team to clone its encrypted contents. The plan? Send in two high-ranking FBI officials to challenge Hanssen to a shooting contest, banking on his pride to make him accept. If it worked, his rigid routine would be broken, and his Palm Pilot would be ripe for the taking.

When they arrived, Hanssen barely concealed his irritation but agreed to go. As he left, he made a critical mistake: he forgot his Palm Pilot, leaving it in his bag beside his desk.

I froze, my eyes fixed on the security monitor as I watched them walk through the main office and out the big SCIF door. I followed them on the feed, watching them approach the elevator. I held my breath, willing them to get on it. Only when the doors closed did I exhale. Patience, I told myself. I waited, counting Mississippis, until my pager buzzed. I looked down at the screen: “In pocket. Shooting.”

Then I moved.

Hanssen’s bag sat against the side of his desk, a dark blue canvas briefcase with brown accents. Four zippered pockets surrounded the central compartment for papers. With exaggerated caution, I opened each pocket, searching for what I hoped would be the key to bringing him down. 

In one of the pockets, I found it—the Palm IIIx. I drew it from the bag like Arthur pulling Excalibur from the stone. I also grabbed a floppy disk and an 8 MB flash card.

The tech team was waiting three flights down on the sixth floor, and I flew down the stairwell. They were ready to start cloning the device, but one of them looked up at me and said, “It’s encrypted. We’ll have to clone it and break the encryption later.”

There was no time to dwell on it. My pager buzzed again. I brought it to my face and read the words: “Out of Pocket. Coming to you.” Hanssen had emptied a clip, sent his first target downrange, and abruptly holstered his firearm. Without a word to his superiors, he’d turned back toward his office—and the device he’d forgotten.

The team finally finished their download, and a tech pressed the Palm Pilot back into my hand like a relay baton. I sprinted for the stairs, adrenaline pulsing through my veins.

The thing about counterespionage is that, even at the highest levels, it’s mostly a grind. James Bond never spent hours staring at a front door or sifting through stacks of paperwork, looking for one small inconsistency. But sometimes, when the adrenaline is pumping and you’re racing against the clock, you feel like the kind of spy you read about as a kid. This was my Bond moment.

I dashed back into Hanssen’s office and knelt in front of his bag, my heart sinking as I realized a problem: I had opened all four of the bag’s pockets and held three devices. My mind went blank. I could only recall that the floppy disk belonged with the Palm Pilot, but no clue which pocket I’d pulled it from.

Then I heard it—Hanssen was coming through the SCIF door.

I made the sign of the cross, dropped the devices in the bag, zipped up all four pockets, and darted to my chair, forcing myself to look calm. My breath steadied, and my hands stilled. If I’d placed the items wrong, there was nothing I could do about it now.

Hanssen entered his office without a word and shut the door behind him. I heard the sound of his zipper as he opened his bag 

Moments later, he emerged, his gaze piercing. “Were you in my office?” he asked, his voice sharp.

I met his stare and played it cool. “We were both in your office, Boss. I left that memo in your inbox. Did you see it?”

He held my gaze, his silence stretching the tension. Finally, he leaned in, face inches from mine. “I never want you in my office again.”

“Sure thing, boss,” I said, keeping my tone light. “Anything else?”

Apparently, that was all. Hanssen grabbed his bag and left.

I waited until the door closed behind him, counting each second as he walked down the hall to the elevator. Only when I imagined the doors sliding shut did I allow myself to fall apart. I’d come terrifyingly close to being exposed—or worse.

A few weeks later, Hanssen made his final drop of secrets to Russian intelligence under the footbridge in Foxstone Park, Virginia. When he exited the park and strode toward his car, FBI agents swarmed him.

He raised his hands and dropped his car keys. “The guns are not necessary,” he said. Then, “what took you so long?”

We not only knew where he would be that fateful day in February, 2001, but the precise time he would make the drop that would provide the Justice Department an airtight case. A Palm Pilot is a digital calendar. We decrypted everything we needed to know not only when he would make his final drop to the Russians, but precisely when.

And that is how you catch a spy.

News Roundup

To stay on theme, this news roundup will stick with the espionage theme. In the world of spy craft, China has clearly been stepping up its game. Still, Iran has yet another twist.

U.S. Probes Leak of Israel’s Iran Attack Plans on Telegram

The U.S. is investigating a classified leak of Israel’s plans to respond to Iran’s recent missile attack, with documents marked top secret surfacing on a Telegram channel based in Tehran. The documents, attributed to U.S. intelligence agencies, reveal Israel’s strategic military movements and were reportedly shareable within the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance. The breach, suspected to be an intentional leak from within the U.S. intelligence community, suggests a spy at high levels. If this espionage is indeed an inside job, it underscores a haunting reality: even after the Hanssen scandal, foreign adversaries may still have allies within U.S. intelligence, posing a critical threat to national and allied security. Let’s hope the forthcoming investigation reveals the spy in our midst!

Chinese Espionage Target Phones in 2024 Campaign Twist

Every election season, spies worm their ways into the campaigns like termites. In a bold move, Chinese spies have allegedly targeted the phones of key 2024 candidates, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance. Investigators are probing what, if any, sensitive data was accessed in this wide-reaching cyber campaign, which also reportedly affected figures in the Harris-Walz camp. The FBI and CISA, alerting telecom providers and issuing warnings, have linked the activity to China. The Trump campaign claims the Biden administration’s policies are emboldening adversaries to interfere, adding a new layer of tension to an already intense election season.

Chinese Spies Breach Telecom Giants, Exploiting Law Enforcement “Backdoors”

A Chinese critical infrastructure espionage group known as Salt Typhoon has reportedly breached major U.S. telecoms, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, aiming to access systems used for law enforcement wiretaps. This attack exposes a critical vulnerability: the very “backdoors” intended for police surveillance are becoming prime targets for foreign espionage. I’ve long said that we weaken security at our peril. Leave a crack and a spy will slip through.

Chinese Nationals Charged with Spying on National Guard

Who needs surveillance balloons when you have human assets? Five former University of Michigan students, all Chinese nationals, have been charged with espionage-related offenses after allegedly spying on a National Guard training center in Michigan, where U.S. and Taiwanese military exercises were underway. In August 2023, the group was confronted by a sergeant major near a lake at Camp Grayling, where they claimed to be photographing a meteor shower. However, a subsequent investigation revealed images of military vehicles and equipment on their devices, taken during live-fire exercises. WeChat messages indicate attempts to delete these photos, which led to charges of giving false statements, conspiracy, and destruction of records. The case has fueled concerns about Chinese espionage within U.S. borders, and legislators are calling for increased vigilance and action against Chinese-affiliated ventures near sensitive sites.

Free Event! The Spy Parade of Trabants

If you are in the DC area, on November 9, the International Spy Museum is celebrating the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a festive gathering of the quintessential Cold War car—the Trabant. Despite their questionable performance and smoky two-stroke engines, these little cars are now affectionately regarded as a symbol of East Germany and the fall of Communism. My wife (who grew up behind the Berlin Wall) still owns a Trabant at her parent’s home in Germany!

Check out my latest podcast appearance

Check out my appearance on The Gold Shields Podcast where I go into detail about how it felt to be locked in room 9930 with Robert Hanssen and what working undercover does to an operative and their family. This podcast episode is a must for anyone interested in law enforcement and the criminal mind.

Going undercover, surveilling targets, changing disguises and taking that perfect photo the moment a spy makes a drop…old school, traditional espionage will never die. I’m excited to keep bringing these stories to your mailbox every week. And I want to hear from you. Like, comment and share with a friend.

And remember, someone is always watching you.
Eric

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