Espionage

**Espionage** or **spying** is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information. Spies help agencies uncover secret information. Any individual or spy ring (a cooperating group of spies), in the service of a government, company or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. In some circumstances it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others it may be illegal and punishable by law. Espionage is a method of gathering which includes information gathering from non-disclosed sources.

## Methods and Technology

### Agent handling

In intelligence organizations, **agent handling** is the management of so-called agents (called secret agents or spies in common parlance), principal agents, and agent networks (called "assets") by intelligence officers typically known as **case officers**.

### Black Ops / Black Operation

Black Operation or known as Black Ops is a covert operation or mission deep into the enemy lines. This kind of operation are often handled by the agents who has a military career background and every mission was conducted "off the record" or "classified" to maintain its secrecy. This particular operation utilize False Flag for more deception and often executed by governmental agency such as Japan's PSIA, but military often makes a joint-operation with the intelligence agency for more effectiveness.

### Concealment device

**Concealment devices** or **diversion safes** are used to hide things for the purpose of secrecy or security. They are made from an ordinary household object such as a book, a soda can, a candle, a can, or something as small as a coin. The idea is that such an inconspicuous object would not be expected to contain anything of worth.

### Covert agent

A present or retired officer or employee of an intelligence agency or a present or retired member of the Armed Forces assigned to duty with an intelligence agency

### Covert listening device

A **covert listening device**, more commonly known as a **bug** or a **wire**, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called **bugging**, or **wiretapping** is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and police investigations.

### Cut-out

In espionage parlance, a **cutout** is a mutually trusted intermediary, method or channel of communication that facilitates the exchange of information between agents. Cutouts usually know only the source and destination of the information to be transmitted, not the identities of any other persons involved in the espionage process (need to know basis). Thus, a captured cutout cannot be used to identify members of an espionage cell. The cutout also isolates the source from the destination, so neither necessarily knows the other.

### Cyber spying

**Cyber spying**, or **cyber espionage**, is the act or practice of obtaining secrets and information without the permission and knowledge of the holder of the information from individuals, competitors, rivals, groups, governments and enemies for personal, economic, political or military advantage using methods on the Internet, networks or individual computers through the use of proxy servers, cracking techniques and malicious software including Trojan horses and spyware.

### Dead drop

A **dead drop** or **dead letter box** is a method of espionage tradecraft used to pass items or information between two individuals (e.g., a case officer and an agent, or two agents) using a secret location, thus not requiring them to meet directly and thereby maintaining operational security.

### False flag operations

A **false flag** is a covert operation designed to deceive; the deception creates the appearance of a particular party, group, or nation being responsible for some activity, disguising the actual source of responsibility.

### Honeypot

**Clandestine HUMINT asset recruiting** refers to the recruitment of human agents, commonly known as spies, who work for a foreign government, or within a host country's government or other target of intelligence interest for the gathering of human intelligence. The work of detecting and "doubling" spies who betray their oaths to work on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency is an important part of counterintelligence. That includes investigative practice involving the use of romantic or sexual relationships for interpersonal, political (including state espionage), or monetary gain, and are often seen in media portrayals of female espionage.

### Impersonation

An **impersonator** is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another.

### Impostor

An **impostor** (also spelled **imposter**) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement.

### Interrogation

**Interrogation** (also called **questioning**) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, and intelligence agencies with the goal of eliciting useful information.

### Non-official cover

In espionage, operatives under **non-official cover** (**NOC**) are operatives who assume covert roles in organizations without official ties to the government for which they work.

### Numbers messaging

A **numbers station** is a shortwave radio station characterized by broadcasts of formatted numbers, which are believed to be addressed to intelligence officers operating in foreign countries.[1] Most identified stations use speech synthesis to vocalize numbers, although digital modes such as phase-shift keying and frequency-shift keying, as well as Morse code transmissions, are not uncommon. Most stations have set time schedules, or schedule patterns; however, other stations appear to broadcast at random times. Stations may or may not have set frequencies in the HF band.

### Official cover

In espionage, an **official cover** operative is one who assumes a position in an organization with diplomatic ties to the government for which the operative works such as an embassy or consulate. This provides the agent with official diplomatic immunity, thus protecting them from the steep punishments normally meted out to captured spies. Upon discovery of an official cover agent's secret hostile role, the host nation often declares the agent *persona non grata* and orders them to leave the country.

### One-way voice link

A **one-way voice link** (**OWVL**) is typically a radio based communication method used by spy networks to communicate with agents in the field typically (but not exclusively) using shortwave radio frequencies.

### Sabotage

**Sabotage** is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a *saboteur*. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identities because of the consequences of their actions.

### Safe house

In espionage, it can refer to:

* in the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger

* a place where undercover operatives may conduct clandestine observations or meet other operatives surreptitiously

### Side channel attack

In computer security, a **side-channel attack** is any attack based on information gained from the implementation of a computer system, rather than weaknesses in the implemented algorithm itself (e.g. cryptanalysis and software bugs).

### Steganography

**Steganography** (/ˌstɛɡəˈnɒɡrəfi/ (listen) *STEG-ə-NOG-rə-fee*) is the practice of concealing a file, message, image, or video within another file, message, image, or video. The word *steganography* comes from New Latin *steganographia*, which combines the Greek words *steganós* (στεγανός), meaning "covered or concealed", and *-graphia* (γραφή) meaning "writing".

### Surveillance

**Surveillance** is the monitoring of behavior, activities, or information for the purpose of influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV), or interception of electronically transmitted information, such as Internet traffic. It can also include simple technical methods, such as human intelligence gathering and postal interception.

### Surveillance aircraft

A **surveillance aircraft** is an aircraft used for surveillance. They are operated by military forces and other government agencies in roles such as intelligence gathering, battlefield surveillance, airspace surveillance, reconnaissance, observation (e.g. artillery spotting), border patrol, etc.

## Espionage in the New World

### New World countries

Most countries, especially superpowers like Mu, Parpaldia Empire and Holy Milishial Empire, possess agencies that collect intelligence and assess the threat level. Remille once mentioned that the Mu were obsessed with gathering battle data, suggesting that Mu's intelligence was emphasized more than that of other countries. Holy Milishial Empire was also known to have an intelligence agency with branches around the world with high efficiency.

### Gra Valkas Empire

Gra Valkas Empire possesses an intelligence agency, however, the methods of how they work and gather information is unknown. They have known to dispatch every spy on every nation to gain intelligence about each country's civilization level. They have also been known for their activities of gathering and stealing documents on Japanese weapons technology in Mu. While agents apparently witnessed the battles in Fenn and Altarus, due to their obviousness about the Japanese homeland during the Great Naval Invasion of Japan, it's assumed that the Gra Valkas were never able to get eyes into Japan directly.

### Japan

During the talks between Japan and Annonrial Empire, diplomat Kondo Shunsuke and his aide deployed two eavesdropper detectors, citing Japan's awareness about Annonrial Empire's advanced magic-based technology. Japan also possess the agency known as PSIA (Public Security Intelligence Agency) that gathers any intelligence and assess every potential threat both inside and outside Japan that can be potential to damage Japan. PSIA serves under the Ministry of Justice and often performs a "classified" or "not on the record" mission where they protect Japan under the shadow or behind the scenes.