Archive for category: Corps Intel Blog

For our ongoing “Intel in 5” blog series, we spoke with Keith Denton, our National Risk & Compliance Advisor, about his 19 years of experience that have shaped his career, including his role during the 2008 terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, the misconceptions that still surround the industry, and the rising threat of AI-enabled crime.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day is different, but mine tends to start with a strong cup of coffee before I review mainstream media and network sources for any significant overnight developments. If anything has the potential to affect the organisation or our clients’ operations, I ensure the relevant parties are informed promptly.

I then focus on my prioritised tasks, often administrative, which include reviewing and maintaining our Business Continuity Management System, tracking and scheduling client testing and exercise programmes, supporting the business with risk-related queries, and contributing to bids for new contracts. I also provide guidance and support to my colleagues, Sophie and Nick, who are Intelligence Analysts. Alongside this, I play a key role in Corps’ organisational resilience programmes by supporting continuity strategy development and ensuring robust exercising, testing and validation processes are in place, including the delivery of these services across several client sites.

Another important part of my role involves visiting client sites across the UK as part of their operational resilience programme. During these visits, I use a range of covert and passive methods to assess the effectiveness of site access control systems and procedures, helping to identify both strengths and areas for improvement.

What first drew you to intelligence or security work?

To be completely honest, my story is like many others – I joined the security industry as a security officer because I needed a stable and reliable job. What I soon discovered, however, was a genuine passion for security that had previously gone unrecognised and continued to grow as my career developed across different areas of the industry.

I found real purpose in playing a key role during significant incidents, often where life safety was at stake. One example was my direct communication with civilians in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai during the 2008 terrorist attack, where I provided reassurance and safety advice while escalating the status of the incident to my client. Having worked across several areas of the sector over the past 19 years and continually strengthened my knowledge, I can honestly say that my passion remains as strong as ever.

What’s the most misunderstood part of your job?

I think that, unfortunately, the security industry still carries an outdated stereotype of an officer sleeping on duty, with a large bunch of keys strapped to their belt. In reality, it is a diverse and highly skilled sector that includes areas such as protective intelligence, cyber security, business resilience and travel risk, all of which require formal training, expertise and commitment.

The most misunderstood aspect in my role is the breadth of what I do, and the level of effort involved in the work we produce as a team. Much of what we do is only visible to others in its final form, through advisories, bulletins and various reports. What isn’t seen is the behind-the-scenes work – the hours of research, analysis and verification to make sure what we produce is accurate and relevant. However, this understanding has improved as the department has grown and gained greater visibility.

What’s a recent trend or technological development you’re watching closely?

While there is a great deal of positive technological innovation taking place, much of which Corps is actively engaging with and promoting, I am closely monitoring the rapid growth of AI-enabled criminal activity. Over the past five years, the use of artificial intelligence by criminals has increased significantly, making cybercrime, fraud and social engineering faster, more scalable and more convincing.

AI is now being used to create sophisticated phishing campaigns, generate malicious code, automate cyber-attacks and produce highly realistic deepfake audio and video capable of impersonating executives, public figures and trusted contacts. These capabilities are lowering the barrier to entry, allowing less technically skilled criminals to carry out attacks that once required specialist expertise.

AI is also accelerating the spread of misinformation and disinformation, creating increased risks to organisations’ finances, reputation and operational resilience. Although AI may not be creating entirely new types of crime, it is acting as a powerful threat multiplier, enabling criminals to operate with greater speed, scale and effectiveness than ever before. Our team works to examine these threats through continuous monitoring of trends, new threat practices and threat actors, as a part of the wider UK threat landscape, and feeding that into our client advice and our colleagues via regular communication.

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?

At the end of the day, I find it difficult to fully switch off and usually need a project or activity to keep me occupied. Although I work in a fast-paced industry and stay busy professionally, I probably do not rest as much as I should outside of work. Instead of resting, I’m often involved in a demanding renovation project or an outdoor activity. But, as I get older, I recognise the need to slow down and make more time for proper downtime.  We live a short distance from several of the UK’s best beaches, so my family and I try to visit them whenever we can. Cycling there really helps us take in the scenery.

Interested in reading more about our team’s expertise? Read our interviews with Intelligence Analyst Sophie or Executive Director Mike Bluestone. Find out more about our security intelligence services or get in touch with our team.