OPSEC — Travel & physical security
OPSEC — Travel & physical security
Sub-nota atomica del manual maestro manual-paranoid-opsec. Cada capitulo es una nota propia para consulta directa por dominio operativo.
11. Travel OPSEC & Physical Security
11.1 Threat Landscape
Travel introduces unique risks that combine digital, physical, and human vulnerabilities.
- Border searches may include device confiscation, forensic imaging, or forced account access.
- Hotels, airports, and conference venues often have compromised Wi-Fi and surveillance systems.
- Physical surveillance teams may track movement, habits, or meeting patterns.
- Carrying sensitive data across jurisdictions increases exposure to lawful intercept and coercion.
11.2 Pre-Travel Preparation
- Define the mission’s minimum digital footprint — take only the devices and data you truly need.
- Use burner devices instead of personal hardware.
- Prepare devices with minimal local data; everything else should be in encrypted containers stored offline.
- Research local laws (encryption, journalism, data handling) to anticipate risks at customs.
- Use dummy accounts or benign identities to handle casual inspections.
11.3 Devices in Transit
- Assume all luggage is subject to search; carry sensitive items on your person if possible.
- Power down devices before travel — reduces risk of live memory extraction.
- Use encrypted drives with plausible deniability (hidden volumes).
- Carry only throwaway SIM cards; avoid roaming on personal accounts.
- Keep devices in Faraday pouches when not in active use.
11.4 Hotels, Airports & Venues
- Treat all public Wi-Fi as hostile; use VPN/Tor.
- Avoid logging into sensitive accounts on hotel or conference networks.
- Use tethered mobile data instead of shared networks.
- Be cautious of room safes; many can be opened with default codes.
- Watch for physical tampering on locks, doors, or devices left unattended.
11.5 Meetings & Movements
- Use varied routes and schedules to avoid pattern detection.
- Arrange meetings in neutral locations with multiple exits.
- Limit use of taxis or rideshares that log identity and travel patterns.
- Keep situational awareness: surveillance cameras, suspicious observers, or unusual activity.
🔥 Extreme Practices (Optional)
- Travel only with single-use, anonymous devices purchased specifically for that trip. Destroy them afterward.
- Carry no sensitive data across borders; instead, transfer via trusted couriers, encrypted cloud dead-drops, or steganographic methods.
- Pre-stage equipment in the target country (purchased anonymously by proxies).
- Use Faraday bags at all times except during active operations; assume all radios (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GSM) are beacons.
- Employ anti-surveillance techniques: detect tails, use counter-surveillance routes, monitor for hostile surveillance gear (RF detectors, thermal sweeps).
- Use layered decoy devices: a “clean” laptop for inspection, another hidden and encrypted for actual work.
- Maintain false travel narratives — prepare cover stories, benign digital accounts, and plausible explanations for all devices carried.
- In hostile states: avoid carrying any digital equipment; rely entirely on non-digital tradecraft (paper, codes, human couriers).