Moldovan Intelligence and Security Service
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

, nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = SIS Stema.png , logo_width = , logo_height = , logo_caption = , image = Sediul Serviciului de Informații și Securitate.jpg , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , formed = 16 November 1999 , preceding1 = 9 September 1991, the Ministry of National Security of the Republic of Moldova , preceding2 = , dissolved = , superseding = , jurisdiction =
President of Moldova The President of the Republic of Moldova () is the head of state of Moldova. The current president is Maia Sandu, who assumed office on 24 December 2020. Duties and functions The office of the presidency in Moldova is largely ceremonial, ...
, under the observation of the
Parliament of Moldova The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova is the supreme representative body of the Republic of Moldova, the only state legislative authority, being a unicameral structure composed of 101 elected MPs on lists, for a period of 4 years. Parliamen ...
, headquarters = Chișinău, Republic of Moldova , employees = , budget = , minister1_name = , minister1_pfo = , minister2_name = , minister2_pfo = , chief1_name = Alexandru Musteață , chief1_position = Director , chief2_name = , chief2_position = , parent_agency = , child1_agency = , child2_agency = , website
www.sis.md
, footnotes = The Security and Intelligence Service () is a Moldovan state body specialized in ensuring national security by exercising all appropriate intelligence and counter-intelligence measures, such as: collecting, processing, checking and capitalizing the information needed to identify, prevent and counteract any actions that according to law represent an internal or external threat to
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, constitutional order, democratic development, internal security of the state, society and citizens, the statehood of the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
, the stable functioning of vitally important branches of the national economy, both on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and abroad. The mission of the SIS is efficient protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, society and state against risks and threats to state security, promotion of democratic values and
national interest The national interest is a sovereign state's goals and ambitions (economic, military, cultural, or otherwise), taken to be the aim of government. Etymology The Italian phrase ''ragione degli stati'' was first used by Giovanni della Casa around ...
s of the Republic of Moldova. The main objectives of the institution are: * Gathering information relevant to national security of the Republic of Moldova, which provides basis for decision to state authorities; * Anticipatory warning on the risks, threats and challenges for security,
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
, independence and integrity of the country; * Conducting strategic assessments of national, regional and international environment of security.


History


Ministry of National Security

* 1991, September 9 - by Presidential Decree of the Republic of Moldova no. 196 the State Security Committee is dissolved and the Ministry of National Security (MNS) of the Republic of Moldova is created. * 1991, September 16 - The Government of Moldova approved the MNS basic functions and structure. Border protection becomes one of the main powers of the MNS. * 1992, April 6 - MNS approved the Regulation of the Ministry of National Security of the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
. * 1993, August 11 - by Presidential Decree no. 125 on
Counterespionage Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ot ...
Department, the Counterespionage Department is transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of National Security and is directly subordinated to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. * 1995, October 31 - the Moldovan Parliament adopts Laws on state security and state security bodies, which are promulgated on 31 January 1997 by the President of the Republic of Moldova. * 1997, September 9 - on occasion of commemorating six years since the creation of the Ministry of National Security, a presidential decree institutes the professional holiday - the Day of state security workers.


Security and Intelligence Service

* 1999, November 16 - the Law of the Republic of Moldova no. 676-XIV reorganized the Ministry of National Security into the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) of Moldova, a body specialized in state security. * 1999, December 23 - The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted the Law no. 753-XIV on Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova, establishing the main tasks and competences of the institution. * 2000, January 18 - the RM Department of Border Guards is withdrawn from the SIS and reorganized into a public authority. * 2002, September 10 - by RM Government Decision no. 1192, the National Institute of Intelligence and Security is established within the SIS as a higher education institution, created on the basis of SIS Training Centre. * 2005, July 22 - by Law no.177-XVI on amending Law no. 753 - XIV of 23 December 1999 on the Security and Intelligence Service of Moldova, the SIS competences are provided in a new edition, where the power to conduct criminal prosecution is excluded from the SIS competences. * 2006, November 13 - by RM Government Decision no.1295, the Antiterrorist Centre of the Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova is created. It is responsible for managing, coordinating and implementing
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...
measures. * 2007, July 19 - Moldovan Parliament approved the Law no. 170 on status of the security and intelligence officer. * 2009, February 10 - by RM Government Decision no. 124, the National Institute of Intelligence and Security is given the name "Bogdan, the Founder of Moldova". * 2010, February 13 - by RM Governmental Decision no. 84 on the transfer of a state enterprise, the Special Telecommunications Centre (CTS) is transferred from the Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova to the management of the State Chancellery (CTS was created in subordination of the SIS on 11 June 2002 - though the Government Decision no. 735 on special telecommunication systems of Moldova - in order to protect important information for the state, create, manage and ensure the operation and development of special national telecommunication systems).


Directors of Security and Intelligence Service


Activity


Intelligence

According to the art.8 of the ''Law on Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova No 753-XIV of 23.12.1999'', intelligence activity is directed to collecting data and information relevant to national security, in order to provide legal beneficiaries with a decision-making basis. Operations for protection and promotion of national interests of the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
are conducted in order to reach the intelligence objectives. The mission consists in carrying out a complex system of activities meant to identify, at an early stage, dangers and risks to national security reported to current threats. The gathered information is analysed and integrated in analytical products regarding strategic assessment of the security environment that is generated by the
globalization Globalization, or globalisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is the process of foreign relation ...
effects, in order to strengthen the profile of the Republic of Moldova as a contributor to regional and international security.


Counterintelligence

According to the art.8 of the ''Law on Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova No 753-XIV of 23.12.1999'',
counterintelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ...
activity aims to identify, prevent and counteract risks and threats to the national security of the Republic of Moldova, deriving from
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
, subversive actions, plans and intentions of foreign intelligence agencies or paramilitary,
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
, extremist and separatist groups. Counterintelligence implies an operational and analytical management, meant to efficiently combine intelligence, creative practices and advanced technology, in order to act promptly and address unpredictable situations. In particular, we are referring to identification of those actions and individuals, which can become targets for foreign intelligence agencies and adversary groups that carry out activities oriented against interests of the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
. The exploration area, in order to protect the
territorial integrity Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that gives the right to sovereign states to defend their borders and all territory in them of another state. It is enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and has been recognized ...
and sovereignty against direct, informational and hybrid aggression, includes the main strategic fields, such as politics, economics, social, military and technology. The goal is to maintain and ensure national functional capacities from the perspective of human, technical, and logistic resources, considering their prompt adaptation in relation to asymmetrical risks, as well as using the development potential for the direct benefit of the citizens.


International Cooperation

Security of the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
is a component part of
global security GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...
. Emergence of asymmetric threats in the era of contemporary globalization entails building sustainable
partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...
s within the complex system of intelligence community in order to reduce the risks that threaten national and regional security. Preventing and combating security threats to Moldova is an approach where the Security and Intelligence Service cooperates with special services and partner structures at regional and international levels. After 1991, once the institution was founded, the evolution of the SIS cooperation partnerships witnessed positive dynamics, taking various forms: exchange of information and expertise, participation at specialized events and accomplishment of joint operations with foreign partners. In the context of Moldova's integration into EU structures, the Service imperatively intends to join regional intelligence platforms, establish and promote bilateral and multilateral relations with line institutions at international arena. The goal pursued in this interaction is oriented towards fundamental national security interests and active involvement of the SIS in creating an adequate climate for regional and European security, aiming at the promotion of
Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
's image not only as security consumers but also as a generator of it.


Informational security

Cyberspace gets to be a comfortable platform for preparing and conducting computer crimes, cyber terrorism and other malicious actions designed to affect, directly or indirectly, the national security. Thus, the penetration of informational systems or electronic communication of public authorities and other institutions and public or private companies, which are dealing with sensitive information, may compromise the confidentiality, integrity or availability of this information, and therefore may cause financial or other damage, including the damage to state security. Also, penetration of informational systems afferent to critical infrastructure of the Republic of Moldova may result in unauthorized control over these systems, and therefore, in affecting the economic, social, political, informational, military and other kind of processes. However, the global nature of informational systems and
electronic communication network An electronic communication network (ECN) is a type of computerized forum or network that facilitates the trading of financial products outside traditional stock exchanges. An ECN is generally an electronic system that widely disseminates orders e ...
s, as well as transnational nature of
cybercrime A cybercrime is a crime that involves a computer or a computer network.Moore, R. (2005) "Cyber crime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime," Cleveland, Mississippi: Anderson Publishing. The computer may have been used in committing th ...
requires close coordination among all responsible institutions at both national and global level. In this context, one of the primary missions is to prevent and combat aggression in
virtual environment A virtual environment is a networked application that allows a user to interact with both the computing environment and the work of other users. Email, chat Chat or chats may refer to: Communication * Conversation, particularly casual * Onlin ...
, internal or external, targeting electronic communication systems of national importance. This mission is carried out in accordance with the legislation in force through the following operational processes: * developing proposals on ensuring informational security, developing and promoting of state policy and exercising control in ensuring the protection of state secret information in cyberspace; * creating, ensuring the operation and security of governmental electronic communication systems, developing strategy and implementing national policy in the field of administration and ensuring the operation and security of special electronic communication systems; * providing the state leadership, ministries, departments and other public authorities, including abroad, according to the Nomenclature prepared by the Government, with governmental communication, that is coded, secret and other types of telecommunications, organizing and ensuring their safety; * tracking radio emissions of radio-electronic transmitters the activity of which endangers the state security.


Intelligence analysis

Intelligence analysis Intelligence analysis is the application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural context. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of deliberate ...
is the process of transformation of primary data, gathered by means of secret sources (''
HUMINT Human intelligence (abbreviated HUMINT and pronounced as ''hyoo-mint'') is intelligence gathered by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as signals intelligence (SIGINT), imager ...
,
SIGINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...
,
IMINT Imagery intelligence (IMINT), pronounced as either as ''Im-Int'' or ''I-Mint'', is an intelligence gathering discipline wherein imagery is analyzed (or "exploited") to identify information of intelligence value. Imagery used for defense intel ...
,
MASINT Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) is a technical branch of intelligence gathering, which serves to detect, track, identify or describe the distinctive characteristics (signatures) of fixed or dynamic target sources. This often incl ...
)'' or open sources ''(
OSINT 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 ...
),'' in intelligence relevant for national security. This activity means filtering, separating, comparing, and integrating the primary data. The result of this complex process is – producing intelligence products (complex document with timely, relevant and verified information, with assessment and forecasting elements). The main effort of the SIS analysts is to apply valuable judgments, especially to uncertainties, incomplete data, ambiguous situations, towards orienting the data gathering process (for intelligence and
counterintelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ...
components). The outcome of intelligence analysis (''intelligence product''), usually, is disseminated to legal beneficiaries / decision-makers and is meant to support them in taking decisions of national interest in two priority directions: a) prevention/ mitigation of risks, threats and vulnerabilities to national security; b) use of opportunities to promote
national interest The national interest is a sovereign state's goals and ambitions (economic, military, cultural, or otherwise), taken to be the aim of government. Etymology The Italian phrase ''ragione degli stati'' was first used by Giovanni della Casa around ...
s.


External links


www.sis.md - official SIS websiteThe law about the Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova
{{DEFAULTSORT:Information And Security Service Of The Republic Of Moldova Moldovan intelligence agencies Government agencies of Moldova