Countries educating citizens as spy war heats up

The spy war is likely to heat up as tensions between China and the United States increase, said Mr Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

"South-east Asia, due to its international connectivity, talent pool and importance in China-US competition, could see more espionage and covert influence activities."

States are educating their citizens to counter the threat.

The US, Australia and Lithuania, for instance, are sharing details of recent incidents, as well as providing safeguards to protect them from being targeted.

Australia's counter-espionage agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, launched a public campaign in November last year, warning citizens of spies trying to identify, groom and recruit Australians with security clearances.

British security agencies launched a campaign this year to warn 450,000 civil servants, partners in industry and academia that "Britain's adversaries are creating fake online accounts to ensnare people who are privy to classified information".

In September last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre released a movie to raise awareness of how foreign intelligence entities use fake profiles on social media platforms for recruitment and information gathering.

Mr Neil Quarmby, chief executive of Intelligence Rising, which offers courses in intelligence and security measures, said there has been a significant shift in counter-intelligence priority towards targeting foreign intelligence influence in recent years.

"This is likely to continue and receive greater investment. Over the next 10 years, such protracted counter-intelligence work is likely to offer up a lot more cases publicly," he added.