From the category archives:

Tradecraft

The Moscow Rules

by The ITS Crew on January 17, 2010

Developed by the CIA, the Moscow Rules are an ode to the dangerous locale that Moscow was during the Cold War.

Much like “Rules of Engagement” for spies, they still serve as prominent guidelines today, just as they did then.

The original Moscow Rules were said to have contained 40 different rules, and a debate still exists over whether they weren’t recorded, or still classified.

Here’s the abbreviated list still circulating around the internet…

[Read More…]

{ 6 comments }

We’ve often talked about certain aspects of disappearing here at ITS, such as an untraceable cell phone and how to escape and evade in an urban environment, but never putting it all together and outright vanishing.

One of our readers clued us in to a fantastic article on Wired Magazine’s Web site titled “Writer Evan Ratliff Tried to Vanish: Here’s What Happened.”

Ratliff, a contributing editor for Wired, had previously written an article about people who fake death back in August, and started asking himself questions about whether someone can really vanish in the digital age. [Read More…]

{ 9 comments }

How to Escape from Zip Ties

by The ITS Crew on September 26, 2009

In our How To Escape and Evade in an Urban Environment article, we briefly discussed escaping from zip ties.

There are quite a few hasty methods of illegal restraint, and zip ties are a method that’s available to any would-be kidnapper.

A few of the other methods seen are duct tape, rope and phone cord, but with a little education you’ll see that all of these methods can easily be defeated.

There are two things you’ll need in any escape situation, and without these two things, nothing we’ll show you will work.

Those two things are time and opportunity. You’ll have to first have the time to be able to put one of these escape methods into action and the opportunity to do so.

Your captors are most likely not going to have the resources or the patience to keep eyes on you constantly, and when they don’t, it’s time to make your move. [Read More…]

{ 106 comments }

Escape and Evade in an Urban Environment

by Bryan Black on September 22, 2009

Close your eyes for a minute and join me on a little adventure… You’re walking down the sidewalk and pass two shady figures talking amongst themselves.

As you pass them, you see the side door of a van open up just in front of you and two more suspicious characters emerge.

Within seconds, you’re restrained and struggling against four people trying to overpower you and throw you into the van.

Now, based on our readers vs. the general population, your response right now is to say “I’d shoot them before they had the chance,” OK Dirty Harry, but now your in a foreign country where your concealed handgun license doesn’t protect you.

Or, you’re in that same foreign country and gunmen jump into your rental car and tell you to drive… [Read More…]

{ 39 comments }

Next Entries →