Every time you go online, you leave behind traces of yourself. This can include things like the browser you’re using, your IP address, and the posts you make on social media platforms. These traces combine to create your signature.
Surely, you’ve run across outlandish videos on the internet that have utilized what’s known as the human image synthesis technique, or Deepfakes. Deepfake software allows users to swap out faces using AI. Although some are hilarious and some are just creepy, the threat of what deepfakes videos are capable of...
The risk of human error remains the greatest liability to national security organizations. Our OSINT techniques blog series aims to educate users on how to navigate online safely and avoid traps, like a bugged website, set by bad actors.
For many analysts, the OSINT process starts with a request for information (RFI), which results in analysts immediately collecting as much information as possible—often beginning with a photo to jump-start the intelligence collection process.
A geolocation refers to the identification of an electronic device’s geographical location using certain technologies, like GPS. Once a device has been located, so can the individual who owns that device, as people usually keep their electronics in close proximity. Law enforcement investigators can use these geolocations to collect open...
Open source intelligence (OSINT) is considered publicly available information (PAI). OSINT, until the internet was introduced, included newspaper clippings and library resources. OSINT mediums are ever-changing, and therefore, collecting this information is both an art and a science. Finding the most effective and secure OSINT technologies have a lasting impact on investigations. Conveying the sentiment coined by William Gibson,...
Anyone can download and access Tor nodes—which means, anyone could potentially discover the node you’re using to access the Tor browser. But a Tor bridge is an entry point to the Tor network that is not listed publicly, making them more difficult for online users to identify.
The OSINT Race Criminal actors are aware of the vast amount of data available to understand and undermine United States policy, democratic processes, and the economy. Therefore, the internet becomes a powerful weapon for both sides of the cyber war. In order to operationalize OSINT, the U.S. Department of Defense must have access to the most innovative technologies. They must also master the information domain in order to plan for and counter the...
If data is online information, then metadata is how this data is described. Metadata gives an overview of an item’s content.
Though the open web is typically just that—wide open for internet users to access—modern websites and popular social media platforms now require users to create accounts in order to enter. With this variation in barriers to data, online users have to adjust their information-collection methods in web spaces that are...
