Profile Pictures on Social Media: Operational Risks
The internet has become an incredibly visual medium. Faces are everywhere online, particularly in social media. But, if you are trying to go online under an alias, faces can create a major problem.
02Oct
Dangers of Bitcoin for MA: Risks to Undercover Operations
Bitcoin could actually put you at risk of exposing your alias. But with the proper precautions and rigorous OPSEC, your mission objectives remain feasible, even while manipulating bitcoin.
11Sep
Lightbeam by Firefox Illuminates Managed Attribution Risks
This blog highlights the FireFox Lightbeam tool that shows how many third party sites that are viewing your activity when you visit a given website. I also discuss the only way to mitigate this ubiquitous monitoring—perfecting your OPSEC and managing your online fingerprint.
28Aug
CAKED: Threat Modeling for Managed Attribution Part 3
In this episode of the series, I apply our threat model to a scenario with significantly higher vulnerability than the last. In this example, the client is conducting active engagement with an overseas illegal marketplace operated by the target.
28Aug
OSINT Threat Modeling for Managed Attribution: Part 2
Part 2 of this 3-part series, Lance applies the managed attribution threat model to an OSINT scenario. The MA requirement here is for the operator to blend in with a highly paranoid group while avoiding detection as an alias by the social media platform they are using.
31Jul
Threat Modeling for Managed Attribution: Part 1
Threat modeling for managed attribution systems requires a different methodology. We have developed a new framework that combats threats that are specific to managed attribution.
17Jul
Canary Trap: The Biggest Risk for Online Identities
The most effective way to expose online identities and aliases is a technique called the Canary Trap or the Barium Meal Test. None of the standard managed attribution practices are effective in thwarting it because it attacks the human operator, rendering most tools ineffective.
03Jul
Non-Technical Indicators: How to Blend in Online
When conducting intelligence operations, it is important to avoid attention.We have all heard the advice, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” but how do we achieve that when we are in Rome.com? What different factors will make us stand out from the crowd and attract unwanted attention during online operations? ...
19Jun
What is Managed Attribution?
The definition of managed attribution is the process of controlling the technical and behavioral indicators that comprise your online identity or attribution.
14Nov
The DNC Hacker Indictment: A Lesson in Failed Misattribution
When reading the Mueller indictment of the Russian DNC hackers, I was stunned to see just how much visibility the US had into the hackers’ operations. In my recent Security Week article, I examine the hackers’ attempts to obfuscate their activities, and discuss what particular actions led to misattribution failure.