Monthly OSINT Round-Up (August 2024)
A FREE Summary of Tradecraft Tips & Industry News from the OSINT World.
Welcome to the eighth edition of our monthly round-up in 2024,
Before we dive into the highlights, we have some exciting news to share:
1. New Podcast Season is coming!
Exciting news: We’re bringing back the OSINT Jobs podcast by popular demand. We’ll be dropping new episodes every two weeks—right here on Substack and available to ALL subscribers.
2. New OSINT-JOBS.com
We've streamlined our platform for employers and job seekers to make posting and finding jobs easier than ever. As a community-driven site, your feedback is crucial. Share your suggestions with us at development@osint-jobs.com. Check out our announcement for more information.
3. Jobs in London, Australia and Vietnam
We're actively recruiting for two positions and want to spotlight an exciting opportunity with Active Fence, who are looking for Cyber Threat Intelligence freelancers. Explore these roles below and for more, visit osint-jobs.com!
2 x Threat Intelligence Analysts in Australia: https://www.osint-jobs.com/job/2-x-threat-intelligence-analysts-sydney-australia
1 x Junior Case Manager in London: https://www.osint-jobs.com/job/junior-case-manager-for-london-based-commercial-intelligence-company
1 x Cyber Threat Intelligence Freelancer in Vietnam: https://www.osint-jobs.com/job/cyber-threat-intelligence-freelancer
Let's dive into the highlights of August 2024! These are brief snippets from our exclusive content delivered every Sunday evening.
Previous Issues
August 2024 Highlights
Tip: GEOINT Tool Avoc by Fabio Daniele
Fabio Daniele announces the completion of his Tech Fellowship with Bellingcat, during which he developed Avoc, a GEOINT tool that integrates multiple map providers and view modes into a single, customizable interface.
Tip: Offline Malware Analysis Tool (OMAT) by Jean Pereira
Jean Pereira has developed OMAT (Offline Malware Analysis Tool), the world's first malware analysis tool that operates entirely offline within a web browser.
Tip: OSINT Guide on Reddit by Nihad A. Hassan
Nihad A. Hassan provides an in-depth guide for OSINT researchers on using Reddit for OSINT.
Tip: Tracking Your Search: Bellingcat's Search Grid Generator
Bellingcat’s new Search Grid Generator simplifies open-source investigations by overlaying grids on satellite imagery, breaking searches into manageable sections.
Tip: Prompting AI for Open-Source Intelligence
Jakob H. explores the integration of Generative AI into OSINT tasks, highlighting how AI can enhance productivity in intelligence gathering.
Tip: Guide to Identifying Explosive Ordnance in Social Media Imagery
Bellingcat, in a post cross-published by the Global Investigative Journalism Network, released a guide to help identify explosive ordnance (EO) featured in social media imagery.
Tip: Investigating Spam and Clickbait Networks on Social Media
OSINT Combine published a new blog post examining a network of likely Macedonian-operated Facebook pages that shared inauthentic and fabricated content, often using AI-generated imagery and text.
Tip: Learn Cyber Security Tips from the CIA's Chief Information Security Officer
The CIA's digital systems handle some of the world's most sensitive data, crucial for national security. In episode 17 of The Langley Files, the CIA's first podcast with many more episodes, hosts Dee and Walter speak with Jennifer Link, the CIA's Chief Information Security Officer, about her role in securing these systems and her personal cyber security practices.
Tip: Google Trends Enhances "Trending Now" Tool for Real-Time Insights
Google Trends has improved its "Trending Now" feature to improve your ability to spot trends. For more information, check out the blog post.
Tip: New OSINT Timeline Tool
The OSINT Timeline Tool, developed by the Dutch OSINT Guy, is a Python application for creating and visualising timelines in OSINT investigations.
Tip: Discover a Comprehensive Resource for Free Geographic Datasets
We've come across a valuable GIS resource that could be of interest to GIS professionals in our community, offering access to over 500 free geographic datasets.
ip: Use Redirect Detective to Trace URL Redirections and Ensure Link Safety
Redirect Detective is a free tool that checks the complete path of a redirected URL.
Tip: Essential Resources for Researchers of Online Terrorism and Extremism
VOX-Pol offers a comprehensive set of resources for researchers studying online terrorism and extremism.
Industry News
Investors are increasingly incorporating geopolitical risks into their strategies due to rising global conflicts. While financial markets have shown resilience, experts warn that the growing political volatility requires deeper integration of geopolitical awareness to navigate future challenges effectively.
Source: https://www.ft.com/content/23ce295d-bf65-47fd-bebd-808b5a7bcab5?
Hozint shared the launch of the official website for the Analyst project, part of the Erasmus+ initiative. This project aims to revolutionize intelligence and security across Europe by fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among experts and institutions.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hozint-horizon-intelligence_home-activity-7226137634882953218-vxE7/
“NATO must recognize the potential of open-source intelligence” - the article discusses the critical role of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in modern warfare, emphasising that despite its growing importance, NATO faces barriers to fully utilising OSINT, particularly due to a cultural preference for classified information.
“How Artificial Intelligence helps spies to fight terrorists” - forecasting political violence is a challenging task. Now, AI assists analysts by identifying clues and providing intriguing insights into changes that might signal an impending attack, the Economist reports in its Intelligence podcast.
“The unmasking of threat actor USDoD” - Cybernews reports how Baptiste Robert used OSINT tools to reveal the identity of "USDoD," a hacker involved in several high-profile data breaches, as Luan Goncalves from Brazil.
Source: https://cybernews.com/security/the-unmasking-of-threat-actor-usdod/
That’s it for this month!
This was just a handpicked and shortened selection of our WEEKLY content.
If you like to receive more such content and get access to our entire archive that’s packed with more than 2.5 years worth of weekly content, consider subscribing.
Alternatively, feel free to share our newsletter with your colleagues and friends. Spreading the word greatly supports our work!