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Intelink is a group of secure
intranets An intranet is a computer network for sharing information, easier communication, collaboration tools, operational systems, and other computing services within an organization, usually to the exclusion of access by outsiders. The term is used in c ...
used by the
United States Intelligence Community United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
. The first Intelink network was established in 1994 to take advantage of
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
technologies (though not connected to the public Internet) and services to promote intelligence dissemination and business workflow. Since then it has become an essential capability for the US intelligence community and its partners to share information, collaborate across agencies, and conduct business. ''Intelink'' refers to the web environment on protected
top secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...
, secret, and unclassified networks. One of the key features of Intelink is
Intellipedia Intellipedia is an online system for collaborative data sharing used by the United States Intelligence Community (IC). It was established as a pilot project in late 2005 and formally announced in April 2006. Intellipedia consists of three wi ...
, an online system for collaborative data sharing based on
MediaWiki MediaWiki is a free and open-source wiki software. It is used on Wikipedia and almost all other Wikimedia websites, including Wiktionary, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata; these sites define a large part of the requirement set for MediaWiki ...
. Intelink uses
WordPress WordPress (WP or WordPress.org) is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in hypertext preprocessor language and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database with supported HTTPS. Features include a plugin architecture ...
as the basis of its blogging service.


Versions on different intranets


Intelink-U

Intelink-U (Intelink-SBU) is a sensitive but unclassified (SBU) variant of Intelink which was established for use by U.S. federal organizations and properly vetted state, tribal, and local officials so sensitive information and
open source intelligence Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (covert and publicly available sources) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforcement, and busi ...
could be shared amongst a secure community of interest. Intelink-U was formerly known as the
Open Source Information System The Open Source Information System (OSIS) is the former name of an American unclassified network serving the U.S. intelligence community with open source intelligence. Since mid-2006, the content of OSIS is now known as Intelink-U while the networ ...
(OSIS). Intelink-U operates on the
DNI-U A variety of networks operating in special security domains handle classified information in the United States or sensitive but unclassified information, while other specialized networks are reserved specifically for unclassified use by the same ...
network.Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program: Intelink
/ref>National Intelligence, a consumer's guide, 2009


Intelink-S

Intelink-S (Intelink-Secret or Intelink-SIPRNet) is the secret-level variant of Intelink which is primarily used by the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Justice. Intelink-S operates on
SIPRNet The Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) is "a system of interconnected computer networks used by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State to transmit classified information (up to and including information cla ...
.


Intelink-TS

Intelink-TS (Intelink-SCI) is the Intelligence Community's Intelink which facilitates sharing intelligence products up to the
Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...
/ Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) level. Intelink-TS operates on
JWICS The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System (JWICS, ) is the United States Department of Defense's secure intranet system that houses top secret and sensitive compartmented information. JWICS superseded the earlier DSNET2 and DSNET3, th ...
.


Intelink-P

Intelink-P (Intelink-PolicyNet) is run by the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
as CIA's sole-source link to the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
and other high-level, intelligence consumers. Today, Intelink-P is more commonly referred to as CapNet.Intelligence in the Internet Era – Studies in Intelligence


Intelink-C

Intelink-C (Intelink-Commonwealth) links the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia intelligence communities at the TS/SCI level. Today, Intelink-C is more commonly referred to by its network name of
STONEGHOST STONEGHOST or "Stone Ghost", is a codename for a network operated by the United States' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for information sharing and exchange between the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Some sources say th ...
.


Books and novels

In 1999 Fredrick Thomas Martin wrote a book about Intelink, titled ''How U.S. Intelligence Built INTELINK, The World's Largest, Most Secure Network''. It claims to be an inside look at the U.S. intelligence community's worldwide, super-secure intranet, and the never-before-published story of Intelink.Home Page for Top Secret Intranet: ''How U.S. Intelligence Built INTELINK - The World's Largest, Most Secure Network''
/ref> In the novel ''Rogue Warrior: Task Force Blue'' by
Richard Marcinko Richard Marcinko (November 21, 1940 – December 25, 2021) was a United States Navy SEALs, U.S. Navy SEAL Commander (United States), commander and Vietnam War veteran. He was the first commanding officer of United States Naval Special Warfare D ...
, the protagonist uses Intelink, during his mission countering domestic terrorism in the United States, and his assassination of a
Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...
-like character, who is the architect of a domestic terror network. In the novel ''Threat Vector'' by
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
, one of the characters found an exploit in the Microsoft's
Remote Desktop Protocol Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft which provides a user with a graphical interface to connect to another computer over a network connection. The user employs RDP client software for this purpose, while t ...
that allowed him to penetrate the networks of a United States
defense contractor The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and serv ...
and exploit that penetration to access Intelink-TS.


References

Intelink itself is also mentioned in several novels written by Andy Mcnab, in particular ''Crisis Four''.


External links


Intelink-U home page
Matthew S. Burton, Studies in Intelligence, September 2005
"The wiki and the blog: toward a complex adaptive intelligence community"
D. Calvin Andrus, September 2005.
"Wikis and blogs" presentation
by D. Calvin Andrus at the
Knowledge Management Conference and Exhibition Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...
, April 21, 2006.
"Rants + raves: agent of change"
''Wired'', September 2006.

''Wired'', March 25, 2008 {{Authority control Classified information Intelligence analysis United States intelligence agencies Wide area networks