Opsec Breaches: Are They Illegal?

Operational security (OPSEC) is a security and risk management process that prevents sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. It was first coined by the US military during the Vietnam War, when it was observed that the US's strategies and tactics were being anticipated by their adversaries. OPSEC is not meant to prohibit freedom of speech, but rather to keep military members and their missions safe. Breaking OPSEC could put service members at risk and may be against the law.

OPSEC and freedom of speech

Operational Security (OPSEC) is a security and risk management process that prevents sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. It is not meant to prohibit freedom of speech. However, OPSEC is about keeping potential enemies from discovering information necessary to keep military members and missions safe.

OPSEC was first adopted by a U.S. military team called Purple Dragon in the Vietnam War. The team realized that its adversaries could predict their strategies and tactics without having access to their encrypted communications or intelligence assets. From this, Purple Dragon defined OPSEC as: “The ability to keep knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses away from hostile forces.”

Since then, OPSEC has been adopted by other government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, to protect national security and trade secrets. It is also used by organizations to protect customer data and address corporate espionage, information security, and risk management.

OPSEC is important because it encourages organizations to closely assess the security risks they face and identify potential vulnerabilities that a typical data security approach may not. An effective OPSEC program can prevent the inadvertent or unintended exposure of classified or sensitive data.

For military families and friends, OPSEC is a necessary part of life. While it is important to respect OPSEC protocols, it is also crucial to understand that OPSEC is not meant to infringe on freedom of speech. Any content shared via social media or letters that may seem irrelevant or harmless can fall into the wrong hands and create security and safety issues for military members and their loved ones. Malicious parties, including terrorists and spies, can collect and use this information to harm U.S. Forces and their families. Therefore, it is essential to follow OPSEC guidelines, such as not sharing specific names, ranks, units, locations, or dates of military activities.

OPSEC in the private sector

OPSEC, or Operational Security, is a security and risk management process that helps prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. It was first developed by a US military team called Purple Dragon during the Vietnam War. Since then, it has been adopted by the entire US military, government agencies, and the private sector.

In the private sector, OPSEC is used to protect customer data and address corporate espionage, information security, and risk management. OPSEC helps organizations identify critical information, analyze threats, determine potential vulnerabilities, assess the level of risk, and develop countermeasures to protect information.

OPSEC is particularly important in the private sector as it helps organizations protect their brand and intellectual property. By adopting the adversary's perspective, OPSEC teams can spot vulnerabilities that traditional security approaches might miss. This enables organizations to implement more comprehensive security strategies and safeguard sensitive data.

• Change management processes: Implement specific procedures for employees to follow when network changes are made, ensuring these changes are controlled and logged for auditing and monitoring.
• Restrict device access: Only allow devices that absolutely require it to access the network, and carefully control and monitor all access.
• Deploy least privilege access: Assign employees the minimum level of access to data, networks, and resources necessary for their roles, reducing the risk of insider threats and minimizing the attack surface.
• Implement dual control: Separate the teams or individuals responsible for maintaining the corporate network from those setting security policies to guard against conflicts of interest.
• Deploy automation: Recognize that humans are often the weakest link in security processes, and use automation to reduce the risk of errors, overlooked details, and critical processes being bypassed.
• Plan for disaster: Develop a solid incident response plan to prepare for potential cyberattacks and other disruptive events, outlining how the organization will respond and mitigate potential damages.

OPSEC and social media

Operational Security (OPSEC) is a security and risk management process that prevents sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. It is a mindset of critical thinking and safe habits. OPSEC is not meant to prohibit freedom of speech, but it is important to understand that breaking OPSEC happens when something is said or done publicly that puts service members or military actions at risk.

OPSEC is especially relevant in the context of social media, where it is easy for malicious parties to collect information that could potentially harm military members, their families, and military installations. Social media monitoring is a key part of OPSEC, as it helps to identify seemingly innocuous actions that could inadvertently reveal critical or sensitive data to a cybercriminal.

• Stop checking in on social media and sharing your location.
• Don't post specific deployment and/or troop movement dates.
• Don't publicly share names, ranks, or specific unit information.
• Don't post the specific deployed location of service members or units.
• Don't share itineraries that have not been publicly released.
• Don't post any troop movement, size, and/or action.
• Don't list your specific job on Facebook.
• Avoid specific hashtags that might make you a target (#ArmyWife, for example).
• Blur out rank and other details in posted photographs.
• Edit photos of letters with names or addresses.

Remember, the less you share on social media, the better.

OPSEC and the law

Operations Security (OPSEC) is a security and risk management process that prevents sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. It involves identifying critical information to determine whether actions can be observed by enemy intelligence and whether the information obtained could be interpreted by adversaries as useful to them. OPSEC is not intended to prohibit freedom of speech, but rather to protect individuals and organisations from potential threats.

Origins of OPSEC

The term "Operations Security" was coined by the US military during the Vietnam War. A US military team called Purple Dragon discovered that their adversaries could anticipate their strategies and tactics without having access to their communications or intelligence assets. This led to the realisation that military forces were inadvertently revealing information to the enemy. Purple Dragon defined OPSEC as "the ability to keep knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses away from hostile forces".

Protecting Sensitive Information

OPSEC is a crucial process for identifying seemingly innocuous actions that could reveal critical or sensitive data to cyber criminals or adversaries. It encourages IT and security managers to view their operations and systems from the perspective of a potential attacker. This includes analytical activities such as behaviour monitoring, social media monitoring, and security best practices. By adopting OPSEC measures, organisations can prevent the inadvertent or unintended exposure of classified or sensitive data.

Legal Implications of Breaking OPSEC

While breaking OPSEC may not directly result in legal consequences, it can have serious security and safety implications. In the military context, violating OPSEC can put service members and military actions at risk. For example, posting specific deployment dates, troop movements, or service member locations on social media can compromise operational security and potentially endanger lives. Similarly, in the private sector, failing to maintain OPSEC can lead to competitive intelligence collection efforts and corporate espionage.

To summarise, while there may not be specific laws against breaking OPSEC, the consequences can be severe. It is crucial to follow OPSEC guidelines to protect sensitive information, ensure operational security, and safeguard individuals and organisations from potential threats.

OPSEC and cybersecurity

Operational Security, or OPSEC, is a security and risk management process that prevents sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. It is a term derived from the US military, specifically a counterintelligence team called Purple Dragon in the Vietnam War. The team realised that adversaries could anticipate the US's strategies and tactics without having access to their communications or intelligence assets.

OPSEC is not intended to prohibit freedom of speech. However, it is important to understand that any content shared via social media or letters that may seem irrelevant or harmless can fall into the wrong hands and create security and safety issues for military personnel and their families.

OPSEC is also used by organisations to protect customer data and address corporate espionage, information security, and risk management. It encourages IT and security managers to view their operations and systems from the perspective of a potential attacker, including analytical activities and processes like behaviour monitoring, social media monitoring, and security best practices.

The five steps of OPSEC are:

• Identify sensitive data: Understand what your sensitive information is, such as customer details, credit card data, employee details, financial statements, intellectual property, and product research.
• Identify possible threats: Determine the potential threats to your sensitive data, including third parties that may want to steal the data, competitors, and insider threats.
• Analyze the vulnerabilities: Assess the potential vulnerabilities in your security defences that could be exploited by threats.
• Appraise the threat level and vulnerability risk: Rank the identified vulnerabilities based on the likelihood of attacks, the level of damage that could be caused, and the time and work required to mitigate and repair damage.
• Devise a plan to mitigate the threats: Put countermeasures in place to eliminate threats and mitigate cyber risks, such as updating hardware, creating policies, and providing employee training.

Good OPSEC practices include using strong and unique passwords, turning on two-factor authentication, installing software updates, activating screen locks, using encrypted email services and cloud storage, adjusting privacy settings on social media, and using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on public Wi-Fi.

Frequently asked questions