Spy Tips on Losses, C-4, Safes, Sneak Attacks, and more…
When a soldier loses a friend in battle, his commanding officer keeps a close eye on how he copes. If his judgment is affected, he is removed from combat so one fallen soldier doesn’t turn into two. Spies in the field take the same precautions. But without a strict chain of command, the decision about who stays in the game and who gets sidelined can get messy.
Used to expand mobile coverage to places without service, femtocells reroute and boost cellular signals. Which is great if you’re a hacker looking to tap and trace a call made by a specific cellphone number.
Of the many ways to launch a sneak attack, few are more disorienting and terrifying for your enemy than dropping in from above. It gives you immediate and overwhelming superiority. The only downside? Sometimes it means an 8-foot fall to the floor.
If you’re looking to frame a specific group for a bombing, you use their design plans, their construction materials, and their particular brand of C-4. Bomb experts know that not all c-4 is the same. The same taggant chemicals that allow manufacturers to identify their own product will also allow forensic teams to track down the source country to determine who’s to blame, just like checking the label on a t-shirt to determine where it’s made, only a little more complicated.
When a real-estate bubble bursts, it’s tough on the civilian population. But it’s a field day for spies. Empty buildings provide excellent cover for scouting in an urban environment. And it’s always nice to plan and execute illicit operations in air-conditioned comfort. Unfortunately, all that unoccupied space is a playground for criminals, too.
A bomb built to distract is long on fuel and short on shrapnel. The larger the fireball, the more eyeballs it attracts. A bomb built to breach a wall, on the other hand, need not be particularly loud or visible. Charges shaped to direct force into structural supports can blow a hole in a wall without blowing out anyone’s eardrum.
Safe technology has been revolutionized in the past 30 years. New metal alloys are stronger and more resistant than ever to drills, saws, and even explosive compounds. Walls, on the other hand, haven’t really changed much since the middle ages. So if you can’t get into a safe fast enough, you can always pull it out of the wall and take it with you.