Intelligence asset

In intelligence, assets are persons with capabilities that aid the intelligence agency 'handling' them. They may be travelling to or infiltrating within organizations or countries, or already in place. If their task is to provide something transferrable, such as information or documents, they may be debriefed within their home country about their travels abroad, or report to other assets or spies in a target country. They are sometimes referred to as agents, and in law enforcement parlance, as confidential informants, or 'CI' for short.

They may work for an agency of their own government or, about as often, for an agency of another government. Acquiring assets, what with finding and cultivating them, is the hardest part; once they are acquired, the same methods used to encourage or coerce their cooperation will more easily suffice for their management.

They may willingly work for an intelligence agency for ideological reasons. More often there are at least additional reasons, or other reasons. Coercion may include monetary gain, blackmail or intimidation and threats.

Sometimes they are unaware of the aid to the intelligence agency. Agents may acquire their aid through failures in information safety such as using insecure computers or not following proper OPSEC procedures during day-to-day chatting.