Asset (intelligence)

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In intelligence, assets are persons within organizations or countries being spied upon who provide information for an outside spy. They are sometimes referred to as agents, and in law enforcement parlance, as confidential informants, or "CIs" for short.

There are different categories of assets, including people who:

Willingly work for a foreign government for ideological reasons such as being against their own government, but live in a country that doesn't allow political opposition. They may elect to work with a foreign power to change their own country because there are few other ways available.
Work in intergovernmental relations for a different part of their government but relay information to their country's intelligence agency. They often obtain useful information in the course of their other work and are sometimes tasked with seeking it out.
Work for monetary gain. Intelligence services often pay good wages to people in important positions that are willing to betray secrets.
Have been blackmailed and are forced into their role.
Do not even know they are being used (so called "useful idiots"). Assets can be loyal to their country, but may still provide a foreign agent with information through failures in information safety, such as using insecure computers or not following proper OPSEC procedures during day-to-day chatting.

References

^ Appel, Edward. "Recruiting and Operating Counterintelligence "Assets"". www.pbs.org.
^ "INTelligence: Human Intelligence". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
^ Ekpe, Bassey (2007). "The Intelligence Assets of the United Nations: Sources, Methods, and Implications". International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence. 20 (3): 377–400. doi:10.1080/08850600701249709. S2CID 154493112.
^ S, Ben. "Intelligence Assets: What is an intelligence asset?". intelligence101.com/.

v t e Espionage
Agents Assets	Agent handling Cover Double agent Field agent Resident spy Sleeper agent Spymaster
Analysis	Intelligence assessment competing hypotheses
Devices and communications	Concealment device Covert listening device Cryptography Cutout Computer and network surveillance Cyber spying Dead drop Invisible ink Numbers station One-way voice link Phone surveillance Short-range agent communications Steganography microdot Surveillance tools
Tradecraft and techniques	Canary trap Front organization Limited hangout
Operations	Chinese intelligence activity abroad Chinese espionage in the United States Cold War espionage Recruitment Black operation black bag wetwork Eavesdropping SIGINT MASINT False flag Industrial espionage Interpersonal (HUMINT) intelligence interrogation safe house surveillance COINTELPRO MINARET SHAMROCK FVEY Sexpionage Stay-behind Targeted surveillance

Intelligence management

Collection

Human

Special reconnaissance organizations
Clandestine	Asset recruiting Cell system Covert action Direct action Operational techniques
Espionage	Agents field handling Asset Black operation black bag Concealment device Cover Cryptography Cutout Dead drop Defection / Turncoat Denial and deception Eavesdropping False flag Industrial espionage Interrogation Numbers station One-way voice link Resident spy Steganography Surveillance

Signals (SIGINT)

Measurement and
signature (MASINT)

Other

Analysis

Dissemination

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