ASIO Intelligence Officer Assessment key terms

The condition in which a nation's borders are effectively controlled, so that people and goods crossing them are identified, authorised and recorded, and unlawful movement is detected and disrupted.

Passenger data such as name, date of birth and travel document details, transmitted by carriers to border agencies before departure or arrival so travellers can be screened against watchlists in advance.

Booking and itinerary data held by airlines, including travel companions, contact details and payment method, analysed by border and law enforcement agencies to identify travel patterns of intelligence interest.

The arrival of a vessel or persons at a coastline without authorisation or documentation, often exploited by people smugglers and requiring interception, reception and identity assessment.

Facilitating the unlawful entry of a person into a country in return for payment, a crime against the state that differs from trafficking because the migrant consents to the journey.

Recruiting, moving or harbouring people through coercion, deception or abuse of vulnerability for exploitation, such as forced labour or sexual servitude; the victim's consent is irrelevant.

The assessment and control of visa applications to confirm identity and purpose of travel and to prevent entry by people who pose a risk to national security or immigration law.

A defence approach that stacks independent controls, such as intelligence, documents, screening, patrols and investigation, so that failure of one layer does not defeat the whole system.

Obtaining or attempting to obtain protected information by clandestine or deceptive means on behalf of a foreign power, or conducting such activity for a foreign intelligence service.

An organisation acting for another state or non-state actor that collects information, recruits sources and conducts covert operations against a target country's interests.

A person with legitimate access who misuses that access, deliberately or through negligence, to harm the organisation's security, information or people.

The staged process by which an intelligence service identifies, assesses, develops and recruits a target as an agent, typically moving from spotting to approach to handling.

The early stages of recruitment in which a service identifies people with useful access or vulnerabilities and evaluates their suitability as a potential source.

An intelligence officer who manages a recruited source, tasking them, receiving their reporting and maintaining the relationship while protecting the source's security.

The techniques used to operate covertly, including surveillance detection, cover, secure communications and concealment of activity from hostile observation.

A deliberately concealed contact between people who wish to avoid observation, often indicated by anti-surveillance behaviour, unusual locations or implausible explanations for the encounter.

Systematic covert observation of a person, place or activity to gather information about behaviour, associations or intentions.

Measures taken to detect whether one is being observed, such as route reversals or stopping unexpectedly, so that surveillance can be avoided or evaded.

A formal determination that a person is eligible to access classified information at a specified level, based on vetting of their background, loyalties and risk factors, and subject to periodic review.

The process of checking a person's identity, history, associations and vulnerabilities to assess whether they can be trusted with sensitive information or access.

Any unfavourable information about an applicant, such as criminal conduct, financial difficulty, dishonesty or extremist associations, that is relevant to a vetting decision.

The principle that access to classified information is granted only where a person requires it to perform their duties, regardless of their clearance level.

Ongoing monitoring of a cleared person's circumstances and holdings rather than a single point-in-time check, allowing risks to be detected between formal reviews.

Confirming that a person is who they claim to be, typically by checking genuine identity documents and corroborating biographical details against independent records.

Using another person's identity, or a fabricated identity, to obtain benefits, access or documents; a common enabler of border, espionage and terrorism offences.

The alteration, forgery or counterfeiting of travel and identity documents, or the use of genuine documents obtained by deception, to facilitate unlawful movement or concealment of identity.

The use or threatened use of violence or other harmful acts to intimidate a population or government and advance a political, religious or ideological cause.

The advocacy or practice of violence to achieve ideological goals, often emerging through a process of radicalisation that may be detectable before any attack occurs.

The process by which a person comes to adopt extreme views that justify violence, shaped by personal grievances, group dynamics and exposure to extremist propaganda.

A person who plans or carries out an attack without direct operational direction from a group, making detection harder and placing greater weight on early warning indicators.

The sequence from intent and target selection through reconnaissance, acquisition of capability and preparation to execution, each stage offering opportunities for disruption.

The range of intelligence, law enforcement, legislative and social measures used to prevent, detect and respond to terrorism.

A planned intervention, such as arrest, prosecution, travel restriction or community engagement, designed to prevent an individual or group from progressing toward violence.

Measures that safeguard people, information, assets and facilities from harm, including physical controls, personnel security and information security.

Reducing the vulnerability of a person, place or system by adding controls such as barriers, access restrictions, screening or surveillance so attacks are harder to carry out.

The design and management of barriers, access control, lighting, alarms and guarding to deter, detect and delay unauthorised access to a site or asset.

The rules and mechanisms that determine who may enter a space or use a system, enforced through passes, biometrics, escort requirements and logging of entry.

Authorisation granted to accounts or roles with elevated rights over systems or sensitive areas, which must be tightly limited, monitored and reviewed because of the harm misuse could cause.

Observable changes in a person's conduct, such as secrecy, sudden affluence, withdrawal or expressed grievance, that may suggest a security concern warranting assessment.

A personal circumstance, such as debt, coercion, addiction or divided loyalty, that increases the likelihood a person could be pressured or persuaded to compromise security.

A register of persons of interest used to screen travellers and applicants so that known or suspected risks are referred for further assessment before access is granted.