Cutout (espionage)

Channel for information exchange

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Part of a series on the

Intelligence field
and Intelligence

Phases of Intelligence

* Intelligence cycle
* Intelligence cycle management
* Espionage
* Intelligence assessment
* Intelligence analysis
* Intelligence collection plan

Framework

* Agent handling
* Blowback (intelligence)
* Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques
* Code name
* History of espionage
* Intelligence failure
* Intelligence requirement
* Intelligence law
* Intelligence studies
* Intelligence sharing
* Recruitment of spies
* Security sector governance and reform
* Total Espionage doctrine
* Treason

Areas of Intelligence

* Raw intelligence
* All-source intelligence
* Counterintelligence
* I.S.R.
* Military intelligence
* Clandestine human intelligence
* Human intelligence (intelligence gathering)
* Technical intelligence
* Cyber threat intelligence
* Medical intelligence
* Signals intelligence
* Open-source intelligence
* Imagery intelligence
* Acoustical intelligence
* Geospatial intelligence
* Intelligence outsourcing
* Basic intelligence
* Strategic intelligence
* Criminal intelligence
* Measurement and signature intelligence
* Communications intelligence
* Electronic intelligence
* Foreign instrumentation signals intelligence
* Telemetry intelligence
* Air intelligence
* Naval intelligence
* Cyber espionage
* Nuclear espionage
* Sexpionage
* Tradecraft

Corporate sector

* Industrial espionage
* Marketing intelligence
* Market intelligence
* Business intelligence
* Commercial intelligence

People

* Intelligence officer
* Asset (intelligence)
* Intelligence community
* Intelligence agency
* Private intelligence agency
* Cover (intelligence gathering)
* Foreign Intelligence Service
* Military attaché
* Mole (espionage)
* Cutout (espionage)
* Sleeper agent
* Atomic spies
* Resident spy
* Espionage organizations

Culture

* Intelligence literature
* Spy fiction
* Spy film
* International Spy Museum
* CIA library
* Kryptos
* OSS Society
* CIA Museum
* N.M.I.S.O.
* Stasimuseum
* Bletchley Park
* The Cold War Museum
* The Intelligence Summit
* Spyscape
* Spy Museum Berlin
* Spy Museum (Tampere)
* KGB Espionage Museum

Tools

* Sentient (intelligence analysis system)
* Concealment device
* Stone Ghost
* Pinwale
* Microdot
* Threat Intelligence Platform
* The Thing
* Enigma machine
* Synthetic Environment for Analysis and Simulations

Lists

* List of intelligence agencies
* List of intelligence gathering disciplines
* List of awards
* List of defunct intelligence agencies

Related topics

* National security
* Surveillance
* Global surveillance
* Disguise
* Reconnaissance
* Target acquisition
* Assassination
* Criminal investigation
* Codebreaking
* Propaganda
* Graphology
* Paramilitary
* Cybersecurity

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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.

## Outside espionage

[edit]

Some computer protocols, like Tor, use the equivalent of cutout nodes in their communications networks. The use of multiple layers of encryption usually stops nodes on such networks from knowing the ultimate sender or receiver of the data.

In computer networking, darknets have some cutout functionality. Darknets are distinct from other distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, as sharing is anonymous, i.e., IP addresses are not publicly shared and nodes often forward traffic to other nodes. Thus, with a darknet, users can communicate with little fear of governmental or corporate interference.[1] Darknets are thus often associated with dissident political communications as well as various illegal activities.

## See also

[edit]

* Dead drop

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Wood, Jessica (2010). "A Digital Copyright Revolution" (PDF). Richmond Journal of Law and Technology. 16 (4). Retrieved 25 October 2011.

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Espionage

* Agents
* Assets

* Agent handling
* Agent provocateur
* Cooptee
* Cover
* Agent
* Cutout
* Double agent
* Fabricator
* Field agent
* Intelligence officer
* Mole
* Resident spy
* Sleeper agent
* Spymaster

Analysis|

* Intelligence assessment
* competing hypotheses

Devices and
communications|

* Burn notice
* Concealment device
* Covert listening device
* Cryptography

* Computer and network surveillance
* Cyber espionage
* 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
* COINTELPRO
* MINARET
* SHAMROCK
* FVEY
* Sexpionage
* Stay-behind
* Sting operation
* Surveillance
* Global
* Mass
* Targeted surveillance

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Intelligence management

Collection|

| Human (HUMINT)|

* 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)|

* By alliances, nations and industries
* In modern history
* Operational platforms by nation
* Direction finding
* Traffic analysis
* TEMPEST

Measurement and
signature (MASINT)|

* Electro-optical
* Geophysical
* Nuclear
* Radar
* Radiofrequency
* Materials
* Casualty estimation (earthquake)

Other|

* Financial (FININT)
* Geospatial (GEOINT)
* Imagery (IMINT)
* Open-source (OSINT)
* Technical (TECHINT)

Analysis|

* Competing hypotheses
* Target-centric
* Words of estimative probability
* All-source intelligence
* Basic intelligence
* Intelligence assessment
* Medical intelligence
* Military geography
* Scientific & Technical intelligence

Dissemination|

* Intelligence cycle security
* Counterintelligence
* organizations
* Counterintelligence and counter-terrorism organizations

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