The field is known as anaplastology and while the article throws shade on the movie industry, there are some talented people that have come across from there.

That is what patents are for. Encourage the inventor to share the technology, in exchange for a limited monopoly on its usage.

Or like in magic eventually somebody else will figure it out if it’s really basic at the fundamentals.

Would techniques of a CIA agent fall under the Invention Secrecy Act or similar?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_Secrecy_Act

Not the techniques described in the fine article.