Working to Keep Coalition SOF Cyber Secure
Earlier this year, Ntrepid participated in the GlobalSOF foundation’s capstone event in Tampa—a warm up to U.S. Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) largest industry event, Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC). The GlobalSOF event included over one thousand participants from industry as well as U.S. special operations forces (SOF) and coalition partners. At the GlobalSOF reception, Ntrepid enjoyed many informative discussions with government and industry stakeholders.
As we get further into the 21st century, one of the biggest shifts in the intelligence community is toward more open-source intelligence gathering tools.
The evolution of the internet and the emergence of the collaborative web has created a wealth of new information sources. Whether it’s publicly available information (PAI) like Google, blogs, and web pages, or open source intelligence (OSINT) like Twitter and Facebook, valuable data is readily available to anyone who knows where to look. While the volume of this type of information steadily grows, consequently, so does it’s importance in the SOF community. The low cost and widespread availability of public information makes it extremely useful for anticipating threats to security and infrastructure at the local, national, and international level. Intelligence professionals are able to access all information available on the web, combined with data from more traditional classified sources, to analyze a wealth of information and zero-in on the areas of greatest interest.
When conducting online engagements and investigations, SOF professionals leak their identity to websites in many ways, and the very nature of their activities exponentially increases exposure to an attack. They could be intentionally visiting hostile sites, engaging with nefarious groups of people, and targeting individuals who may not appreciate being investigated. If detected, their target may block them, feed them misinformation, adapt and fade back into the shadows, or even engage in counter attacks. Meanwhile, investigators have collected highly confidential information on their computer. Whether it’s investigation notes, case files, or sensitive capabilities and infrastructure data, they have a lot to protect on that machine.
Ntrepid’s suite of anonymous and misattribution products allow the user to freely conduct online investigations without the risk of detection, information leakage, or attacks. Ranging from a secure anonymous browser, to fully engaged and misattributed counter intelligence platforms, Ntrepid’s unique technologies can provide the SOF community with unparalleled protection from online threats. Our growing footprint in the community is testament to the increasing need to leverage customized technologies that maintain the edge for special operations forces. Ntrepid is dedicated to supporting R&D for this specialized community — stay tuned for more Ntrepid innovations keeping U.S. and coalition SOF agile and adaptive to emergent nation-state and hybrid threats.
For more information on how Ntrepid may assist your SOF and inter-agency partner requirements, contact us today!
