Request to the mods to "stickie" this up at the top...

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Commentary by Special Agent Patrick Brom
Air Force Office of Special Investigations Det. 221 commander

5/8/2007 - WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) -- "Hi, I'm Jane Doe, 23. I'm married to John, 25. He works in the security forces squadron as a gate guard. He is deployed right now and will be home May 10 after being gone for nine months! We have one son, Johnny, who is 20 months. We have been here for a little more than a year. We came from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. We were there for three years. I would like to join the playgroup when you guys start it up. My son would love it!"

Where would someone get this information? Maybe from a support group on base, or at a base picnic, right? In those arenas this information would be harmless, and it would be a great way for the speaker to reach out and find others like her.

But what if this same information is posted on the Internet, for millions of viewers, many who do not have the best of intentions for those in a vulnerable position? This is an example of information that is actually out there, and it is a major concern for leaders across the Air Force who have the responsibility to protect the Airmen and their families within their charge.

The example above gives a lot of information that can be used to harm that Airman or his family. Specifically:
-- The active-duty member is deployed and I'm home alone with a baby. Translation: Rob me, assault me and kidnap my child.
-- Here are the details of my family. Translation: I am home alone while my husband is gone.

The advent of the Internet, incorporating the vast amounts of information that can be garnered just by surfing the Web, has made it imperative that Airmen and their family members pay special attention to the information placed in public and even private forums there.

For military members, specific training is conducted annually and reminders are posted daily of what is appropriate and not appropriate discussion within the Internet world. Unfortunately, family members are not always kept abreast of the latest threats in the cyber realm.

Air Force Office of Special Investigations agents spend a considerable amount of resources and effort in protecting Air Force operations, people, resources and its family members. To do so, OSI special agents use Internet resources just as anyone else would to collect information. When necessary, agents look at MySpace, Yahoo groups and personal profiles. What are the agents looking for?

Internet forums such as MySpace and Yahoo groups are excellent arenas to meet new people in a new duty location. The intent of these sites and the people starting these groups is to inform and have a place to engage in conversation with a broad audience on a variety of topics. Participation in these groups is not what concerns OSI agents and Air Force leaders.

However, during the course of random searches, it was found that too often the information posted in these forums included dates of spouse deployments, locations of deployments, specific squadrons where they work and return dates. In some extreme cases, agents have found individuals posting their addresses and even detailed information about family members.

From an operation-security standpoint, it is imperative for the warfighter to feel comfortable knowing his safety and the safety of the mission has not been compromised. Terrorist organizations use Internet resources much like the intelligence world. They collect, analyze and put pieces of a puzzle together to give them a full perspective of what the Air Force and the United States are doing to combat them. The responsibility of Airmen and their families is not to give them these pieces. Missions fail and lives are endangered when OPSEC is compromised.

Times that spouses are gone during the day or if they are gone at all, specific addresses, telephone numbers and detailed personal and family information are very valuable from the criminal viewpoint. Criminals are just as calculating as terrorists and collect and target this information. People can see examples of this daily just from reading the newspaper and turning on the local news.

As warfighters, Air Force members want to be sure their families are safe and not potential criminal targets. It is being comfortable with the situation at home that allows the deployed member to concentrate on the mission at hand and safely return home.

Some basic OPSEC and Internet practices are to:
-- Know your groups, forums and owners of the groups.
-- Post no information on a spouse's location, dates leaving or returning from a deployment -- this is need-to-know information.
-- Don't post personal information such as addresses, phone numbers, specifics about children and family members on public forums.
-- Use groups or forums that have moderators. These middlemen can usually aid in flushing out potential OPSEC breaches or personal information before messages get posted

An OSI agent's primary focus is to protect the Air Force's people, resources and mission. This includes not only the military members deployed and stateside but also the family members as well.

Agents are not spying on Airmen and their families. The organization exists to support all Airmen and their communities by educating and seeking out potential threats to the lives and well being of the communities they serve. Awareness and information is power. Airmen and their families need to protect themselves and avoid assisting those who would harm them.

If you are concerned with information that you have posted on the Internet, please call any agent at your local OSI detachment.


http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123051449

edited

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Navywifeinparadise,

Another very good example of what NOT to do and why: http://www.milspouse.com/opsec-and-persec.aspx

Online OPSEC and PERSEC

Things to keep in mind when posting.

by Anita Doberman



Technology has pioneered the vast frontier of cyberspace: a wildly enticing and readily available venue void of borders and rules. Just remember, the Web is public domain.

Terrorists look for any small puzzle piece. While a small bit of information may be innocuous by itself, coupled with other small puzzle pieces it can create a big picture. And, that can cause serious trouble, not just for you, but for other military families, as well.

Safety Guidelines:

Join moderated forums. It’s safer to join chat rooms or forums that use moderators. Note: Do not be lulled into security by thinking a moderated forum is free from safety violations. Even secured forums can have trolls and lurkers.
Create a nickname. If you decide to chat or post on a forum, create a nickname. If you go by your legal name, anyone can use your words and photos against you. Likewise, be very wary of posting your email address–unless you really like spam.
Become a “Jane Doe.”Don’t give out personally identifying information such as home address, telephone number, social security number, credit card and bank account numbers, place of work or any other information that may personally identify you. Also, be particularly careful when describing your family members, especially children, and don’t divulge your city of residence. It also means don’t pick a username like CrystalLovesGreg.
Mum’s the word. If you aren’t sure how to answer questions about your spouse’s job or location, don’t. You can always politely refer inquiring minds to your installation’s public affairs office. Additionally, avoid answering questions about your service member’s duty station, rank, MOS and whereabouts.
Watch your back. Beware of scams. If a company you trust is asking for identification information via email, ask for a phone number and follow up. Utilize scam- and myth-busting Web sites, like Snopes.com, before before buying into the next “absolutely, guaranteed true” mass email.
Children: Trust no one. Teach your children that anyone can pass for a friend online. Explain that they shouldn’t share personal information, and have them inform you immediately if someone asks to meet them..
Unsafe way to post:

Posted by: CrystalLovesGreg: “Hey girls, sorry I won’t be in the forums today. My son, Mike (he’s six) is home with the flu. We just got back from Portsmouth Naval Hospital where we waited for six hours at the ER. My two girls were crazy! Anyway, I hope he gets better in time for DH’s return next week. We go back for a follow up Tuesday morning. I’ll be back on tomorrow.

What a lurker has probably learned: You’re a Navy spouse, named Crystal, with three children: two girls, one boy, age six, named Michael. You live in Hampton Roads and your husband, named Greg, is on a ship returning in less than seven days. And, if I wanted to find you, I could simply hang out Tuesday at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and wait for a woman with three children who fit this description. Voila!

Safe way to post: “Hey girls, sorry I won’t be posting today. I’m taking care of my children. Talk to you tomorrow.”

BE SMART!

I do not think that we are safe, but I got e-mails like this since the war has kicked off and as if our community is not paronoid enough as it is.. I do not think this helps.. please allow me to explain.

Me placing in myspace, facebook and on here that my name is Diana and my husband is a Marine, we have a child and we live in D.C is not going to give a terorist an exact location and the ability to get on to a secure military facility to come and kidnap my family because of what my husband does for a living. I mean for all anyone knows my husband is a supply clerk.

I do hate those half my heat is in Iraq or Afghanistan bumper stickers for your car, because when you go off the facility your screaming to the public, I am alone and often. And if you live off post..then you just opened your self to criminal activity rather than a terorist.. but is there much of a difference?

I think we need to be careful, but not to the point of making up fake first names and not sharing what is going on in our lives. We can share these things, just not down to the letter in detail. Me saying I am bring my son to the doctor doesn't say much if I don't say where the office is. We need to be smart, but not to the point where we throw fruits at a hooded guy in the produce section in walmart cause we have terrorists on the brain.

I am more than understanding of what terrorists can do. I am married to a Marine but also a New Yorker who has seen their kind of work first hand. Let's be responsible and street smart, but not scare every Military Spouse across the country thinking they are a high profile targets to Al-Qaeda.