This is where you will find a glossary of concepts from the world of intelligence. We write the definitions ourselves, in plain language. If a concept is defined in a Polish statute or in NATO documents, we quote that definition word for word alongside, with the number of the provision or the name of the document.
Only concepts in general use make it into the glossary. Every entry links to related concepts, to operation cards and to the texts in which it appears.
Basics
- ABW Counter-Terrorism Centre
- agency (NATO terminology)agency
- agent
- AIVD
- all-source intelligenceall-source intelligence
- blowback
- BNDBundesnachrichtendienst
- case officer
- chief of station
- collectionPolish: zbieranie
- counterintelligence
- counterintelligence protection
- defector
- disposable agents
- extremism
- Five Eyes
- foreign special services
- indicators and warningPolish: wskaźniki i ostrzeganie
- intelligence
- intelligence communityIntelligence Community
- intelligence cycle
- intelligence requirementPolish: wymaganie wywiadowcze
- national intelligence (US)National Intelligence
- National Intelligence Council
- NIENational Intelligence Estimate
- radicalisation
- raw data and finished intelligenceraw / finished intelligence
- recruitment
- SIS (MI6)Secret Intelligence Service
- source
- spy swap
- SVRForeign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation
- terrorism
- tradecrafttradecraft
Intelligence disciplines
- A-12 OXCART
- COMINTcommunications intelligence
- direction findingDF, direction finding
- ELINTelectronic intelligence
- FISINTforeign instrumentation signals intelligence
- GCHQ
- GEOINTgeospatial intelligence
- HUMINThuman intelligence
- IMINTimagery intelligence
- MASINTmeasurement and signature intelligence
- NRONational Reconnaissance Office
- NSANational Security Agency
- Open Source Center
- OSINTopen-source intelligence
- radio intelligence
- SIGINTsignals intelligence
- traffic analysistraffic analysis
- U-2
Law
- classified information
- College for Special Services (Kolegium do Spraw Służb Specjalnych)
- disclosure of classified information
- espionage
- finding (presidential authorisation of covert action)presidential finding
- FISAForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act
- Intelligence Services Act 1994
- ISCIntelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
- Parliamentary Oversight Panel (PKGr)Parlamentarisches Kontrollgremium
- security classification
- Security Service Act 1989
- Special Services Committee (Sejm)
- SSCISenate Select Committee on Intelligence
InfoOps and PsyOps
- agent of influenceagent of influence
- black propagandablack propaganda
- deceptionPolish: wprowadzanie w błąd
- disinformation
- false flag
- FIMIforeign information manipulation and interference
- hybrid threats
- hybrid warfare
- information operationsInfo Ops
- kompromat
- misinformationmisinformation
- propaganda
- psychological operationsPsyOps
- state information security
- strategic communicationStratCom
- subversion and sabotage
Cyber
- APTadvanced persistent threat
- attributionattributing an attack
- critical incident
- CSIRTcomputer security incident response team
- cybersecurity of Poland
- cyberspace security
- cyberwarfare
- essential entity and important entity
- EU sanctions for cyber attacks
- GTsSTGRU Main Centre for Special Technologies
- incident
- incident handling
- incident management
- large-scale cybersecurity incident
- Lazarus GroupAPT38
- man-in-the-middle attackman-in-the-middle
- phishingalso smishing (SMS) and vishing (phone calls)
- potential cybersecurity event
- quishingQR phishing
- ransomware
- Sandworm
- serious cyber threat
- serious incident
- social engineeringsocial engineering
- spoofing
- vulnerability
- WannaCry
Protection of information
- burn bagburn bag
- certification (protection of information)
- classified material
- compartmented intelligencecompartmented intelligence
- confidentiality, integrity, availability
- document (classified)
- eyes only
- guarantee of secrecy (rękojmia zachowania tajemnicy)
- ICT security accreditation
- ICT system security audit
- ICT system security documentation
- industrial security
- leak
- national security authority
- need-to-know principlePolish: zasada wiedzy koniecznej
- processing of classified information
- risk assessment
- sanitisation (of a document)sanitize
- SCISensitive Compartmented Information
- SCIFSensitive Compartmented Information Facility
- security clearance (poświadczenie bezpieczeństwa)
- security vetting (postępowanie sprawdzające)
- technical surveillance countermeasuresTSCM
- TEMPEST
- “restricted” (zastrzeżone)
Operational work
- agent-in-placeagent-in-place
- alias
- blown (compromised)
- bona fides
- brush passbrush pass
- bug
- cachecache
- chicken feedchicken feed
- concealment device
- cover
- covert actioncovert action
- covert monitoring (niejawne nadzorowanie)
- covert opening of mail
- cut-outcut-out
- dangle
- dead drop
- double agent
- electronic dead dropEDLB
- exfiltration
- honey trap
- illegalillegal
- infiltration
- L-pillL-pill
- legendlegend
- listening postLP, listening post
- live droplive drop
- microdotmicrodot
- molemole
- numbers stationsOWVL, one-way voice link
- operational and reconnaissance activities (czynności operacyjno-rozpoznawcze)
- operational control (kontrola operacyjna)
- passive bugpassive element
- provocateurprovocateur
- sleeper (sleeper agent)sleeper agent
- surveillance detection routeSDR, surveillance detection route
- walk-inwalk-in
- wire (body-worn bug)wire
Cryptology
- backdoor (in a cipher)backdoor
- Bletchley Park
- Bombe (British)
- card catalogue (Rejewski's)
- cipher
- clock method
- code
- crib (probable plaintext)crib
- cryptanalysis
- cryptologic bomb (bomba)Rejewski’s bomb
- cryptology
- cyclometer
- encryption
- Enigma
- frequency hoppingfrequency hopping
- GC&CSGovernment Code and Cypher School
- ISK (Intelligence Service Knox)
- key (cryptographic)
- known-plaintext attackknown-plaintext attack
- one-time padone-time pad
- steganographysteganography
- Ultra
- Vernam cipher
- zeroisationzeroize
- Zygalski sheets
History and lustration
- Cheka
- Church CommitteeChurch Committee
- collaboration (within the meaning of the Lustration Act)
- Commission for the Liquidation of the WSI
- Department of Public Security of the PKWN (Resort Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego PKWN)
- Double-Cross System (XX)
- GROM
- Jedburghs
- KGB
- lustration declaration
- Military Information Services (Wojskowe Służby Informacyjne, WSI)
- Okhrana
- OSSOffice of Strategic Services
- Radio Security Service
- Second Department of the General Staff (Oddział II Sztabu Głównego)
- Second Directorate of the General Staff of the Polish Army (Zarząd II Sztabu Generalnego WP)
- Security Service (Służba Bezpieczeństwa, SB)
- SmershSMERSH
- SOESpecial Operations Executive
- StasiMfS, Ministry for State Security of the GDR
- state security organs (1944–1990)
- TICOM
- Washington–Moscow hotlineDCL, Direct Communications Link
Security apparatus of the Polish People's Republic
- address drop (skrzynka adresowa, SA)
- agent case (sprawa agenturalna)
- candidate for secret collaborator (KTW)
- case of operational checking (sprawa operacyjnego sprawdzenia, SOS)
- case of operational investigation (sprawa operacyjnego rozpracowania, SOR)
- case of operational observation (sprawa obserwacji operacyjnej)
- cell secret collaborator (TWC)
- cipher telegram (SB; szyfrogram)
- confidential contact (KP)
- consultant (SB)
- coordination (in the SB; koordynacja)
- correspondence point (punkt korespondencyjny, PK)
- covert observation post (zakryty punkt obserwacyjny, ZPO) and special covert post (specjalny punkt zakryty, SPZ)
- cryptonym (kryptonim)
- Department I of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Departament I MSW)
- foreign travel ban (zastrzeżenie wyjazdów zagranicznych)
- general information card index (kartoteka ogólnoinformacyjna, KOI)
- informer (informator, 1945–1960)
- Internal Military Service (Wojskowa Służba Wewnętrzna, WSW)
- object case (sprawa obiektowa)
- official contact (KS)
- operational combination (kombinacja operacyjna)
- operational contact (KO)
- operational contact and information contact of Department I (kontakt operacyjny, kontakt informacyjny)
- operational records file on a priest (teczka ewidencji operacyjnej na księdza, TEOK)
- operational safeguarding (zabezpieczenie operacyjne)
- personal file and work file of a secret collaborator (teczka personalna, teczka pracy TW)
- query (check; zapytanie, sprawdzenie)
- registration and observation case (sprawa ewidencyjno-obserwacyjna, SEO)
- registration log (dziennik rejestracyjny)
- registration questionnaire (kwestionariusz ewidencyjny, KE)
- report (from surveillance or eavesdropping; komunikat)
- rezidentura (Department I of the Ministry of Internal Affairs)
- safe flat (mieszkanie konspiracyjne, MK) and contact premises (lokal kontaktowy, LK)
- secret collaborator (TW)
- the “T” branch and operational technology (pion “T”, technika operacyjna)
● This section grows in batches: new cards are added together with their sources.
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