CTG's Threat Intelligence Podcast

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced he will seek reelection for the presidency in 2024. In 2021, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, appointed by President Bukele, permitted the presidential reelection. President Bukele's popularity has stayed above 80%, but human rights groups and foreign governments, such as the US, are concerned about President Bukele's concentration of pow...

Cultures and subcultures have existed for the entirety of human history. Some cultures are more prevalent than others, while others still are very niche, serving only a small number of people who share similar interests or beliefs. In the internet age, niche subcultures are much more accessible. All it takes is a few searches and keywords and whatever Google has to offer will be bared to you. Toda...

In this week's episode, we look into a security brief from CTG's CICYBER team. First on the report was a new strategy by the U.S. government: The Central Intelligence Agency created a Russian language video directed to Russian language speakers affected by the war in Ukraine. Additionally, the U.S. government addresses key North Korean cyber threats by implementing sanctions on important cyber-fin...

Earlier this year national headlines were being made by a group of truck drivers at the U.S. and Canadian border, blocking international trade routes. The group was protesting Canadian and American mask and vaccine mandates which impacted who could cross the border. After a brief détente thanks to the war in Ukraine, a group known as the People's Convoy is planning its next trip to Washington D.C....

In a forthcoming Special Report, CTG analyzes the importance of foreign fighters joining terrorist movements in Central Asia. The history of foreign fighters arguably dates back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. Fighters from all across the world, including Osama bin Laden and others, joined to fight the invading imperialists. The same inspirations have been used throughout t...

In the events of Russia versus Ukraine, Cyber threats have been just as much the story as physical attacks. In a security brief, CTG assessed and analyzed two different instances of Russian cyber attacks. When bombs and guns go off, the world responds in a relatively predictable way. When a cyber-bomb blows however, the world can react in sporadic, unpredictable ways. Marina Tovar from CTG's CICYB...

ISIS has claimed its first attack in Israel roughly five years, meanwhile in Iraq, funding has begun on a border wall in vulnerable locations along the Iraq-Syria border in response to ISIS fighters using these routes to enter the country and wreak havoc. Meanwhile, on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Afghani Taliban regime attempts to rid themselves of Pakistani Taliban forces, ot...

Over the last several years social media companies like Facebook and Twitter have been criticized by seemingly everyone. Many argue that social media companies have an obligation to call out or de-platform accounts producing disinformation on their platforms. Others decry it as a slippery slope to government censorship if they don't call it outright censorship as is. In response to this many alt-r...

Russia's war in Ukraine is a multilayered, multifaceted quagmire. Obviously, the face we see in the news is conventional warfare, resulting in the deaths of combatants and non-combatants alike. The Biden administration has stood firm on its stance of utilizing crippling economic sanctions against the invading Russians. Less talked about, but no less important is the cyber layer. Cyber bullets are...

Conspiracy theorists jump at any opportunity to pervert the narrative around a given situation, even when the situation or event results in dozens, if not hundreds of grieving families. This is the case for many families who have become victims, not only of mass murder in their communities but of dangerous and vicious conspiracy theories regarding how and why their family and friends were killed....

In this episode of the Threat Intelligence podcasts' round table discussion. Our panelists joined Adam to discuss Russia and Ukraine. We discuss refugees, weapons and tactics, and where and how China may fit into all of this. This week Adam is joined by CTG's own Becca Stewart as well as Semaj McDowell, host of his own podcast, the Geopolitical Pivot.

Between China and Russia, the world's eastern powers are out to reconstruct their empires of old. Currently, we are seeing this play out in Ukraine on televisions across the globe. As focus shifts back to Russia, China continues to subtly and deftly expand its own power and influence. China's debt diplomacy, and their aggressive economic 'Belt and Road' initiative threaten to cripple beleaguered n...

At the time of recording, Russia had amassed nearly 130,000 troops at the Ukrainian border. Since then estimates put the number at nearly 190,000. Russia has effectively surrounded every inch of Ukraine including to the south along the Black Sea. Should war break out in earnest, it would be the largest, most sophisticated war effort in Europe since V.E. Day.

The Taliban is firmly entrenched as the ruling party in Afghanistan since seizing power late last summer. Between the Taliban, ISIS-K, and a thoroughly crippled economy, largely run by illicit markets, Afghanistan is in the midst of a human trafficking epidemic.

By some metrics, America saw 34 school shootings in 2021, a number far higher than any other recent year. The Oxford High School Shooter, responsible for four deaths, will face charges of Terrorism, which some are noting is a new way forward, not only for litigating shooters but also as a form of countermeasure to deter mass shootings in the future. To explain these nuances and share a bit about a...

In mid-January, a top Russian official did not rule out military deployments to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the U.S. and NATO over Ukraine continue to escalate. U.S. government officials have dismissed the statements as hyperbole and stated that if Russia did move in that direction, the U.S. would move "decisively" to deal with it. But what does decisive action look like? Intentionally it...

Welcome to the first podcast episode of 2022! In this round table, two panelists will join Adam to discuss what stories we should watch in 2022. The storylines may be continuing from 2021 (and beyond), or they may be new trends emerging in the new year. Becca Stewart and Kaylyn Matis, both CTG analysts, join me in our second installment of the round table series to discuss stories from Ukraine, CO...

The Taliban now controls Afghanistan and has been working in earnest to run the nation since their ascension to power three months ago. In an extensive report, CTG researched and analyzed how the Taliban utilizes public messaging and propaganda both internationally and domestically. Becca Stewart, CTG's Special Teams Manager, joins us to discuss what propaganda efforts being implemented by the Tal...

Somalia is in disarray. Taking advantage of Mogadishu's political gridlock, Al-Qaeda affiliate group Al-Shabaab rages in the countryside looking to replace the old, tired, secular government for their form of Sharia law. Faye, of CTG's AFRICOM team, joins us to discuss Al-Shabaab's growing influence.

In recent weeks CTG produced a special report on the Yemen Civil war, including background on the Houthi movement and the current situation on the ground in Yemen. Though 2021 winds to a close, the war that began in 2014 is still in full swing. JJ Singh from CTG's CENTCOM team joins us to discuss the situation.

In the premiere Round Table episode for the Threat Intelligence podcast Aimee Hanstein and Becca Stewart join Adam to discuss trending stories around Africa and how China's expanding reach could lead to Cold War-era proxy wars. From Taiwan to East Africa, China's growing influence threatens the security of the U.S. and the rest of the West.

In recent months and years, the term INCEL has gained national and international prominence for all the wrong reasons. A so-called "red pill" / "black pill" dichotomy within the largely online community known as INCELs, short for involuntary celibates, has resulted in several mass killing events. The latest attack took place on August 13th, when Jake Davison shot and killed 5 people in Plymouth, E...

As chaos continues to ensue in the wake of the Taliban's victory over the Afghan government, the international community is grappling with how to manage their response to the crisis. Today Rob is joined by Jujhar & Vaania from CTG's CENTCOM team to discuss what the situation looks like on the ground, how the international community (beyond the United States) is handling the situation, and, most im...

Since President Biden began evacuating troops in earnest in late July, the situation in Afghanistan has changed – and fast. In just a matter of days, Taliban forces have enveloped the entire nation. On August 15th, the Taliban entered Kabul as reports came out detailing how sitting President Ghani had fled to Tajikistan. The U.S. is seemingly out of the fire into the frying pan as President Biden...

In recent years, mass kidnappings in Africa have become a near-weekly occurrence, especially in Nigeria where Boko Haram wreaks havoc. Clara de Solages joins Adam to break down the current state of this continental crisis, as well as detail how some states can adapt to face this challenge more effectively.