NeedleStack

From influence operations and Telegram to using marketing tools for OSINT insights, our guest gives pro tips on OSINT and cyber investigations for professional practitioners.

Key takeaways

• Digital forensics incident response
• Cyberthreat and OSINT crossover
• Marketing tools for OSINT

In this episode, we sit down with cyber threat analyst and SANS OSINT instructor, Steven Harris. Steven discusses how Telegram is a must-use channel for investigating the war in Ukraine, and why cyber threat actors are flocking to the app.

Key Takeaways

• SOCMINT from law enforcement to cyber threats
• Investigating on Telegram
• Why Telegram allows cyber threat actors a lower barrier to entry

Alex Lozano of Cybergy joins us to discuss how he uses OSINT and social media to protect executive clients, resources for his cyber students at University of Barcelona and the best tools for real-time monitoring.

Key takeaways

• How to use OSINT for executive protection
• Resources for students and OSINT newbies
• Tools for real-time monitoring

Language can limit or expand your worldview. That’s important to remember in OSINT where what you’re able to find and analyze can greatly affect the intelligence you build. Skip Schiphorst, OSINT instructor at i-Intelligence, shares his expertise on why even baseline knowledge of a foreign language is important in a world flush with translation services; how foreign language content can counteract bias; and tips for verifying automated translations.

Key takeaways

• You can find a lot more online than you may think by using foreign languages — even those using non-Latin characters
• You don’t need to be a ninja with years of training to find foreign content online, or outsource everything to language experts
• Know the basics of OSINT, be critical and be patient when searching online in a foreign language

MJ Banias discusses how one man’s late-night OpSec fail is an OSINTer’s treasure. If that’s too salacious for you, we also talk about how awesome newspaper archives and librarians are.

Key takeaways

• Put yourself in your targets shoes to understand what sites could give you your next selector
• The sites and services every OSINTer should subscribe to
• How overcoming a millennial’s worst nightmare could be the break you need

Journalists, academics and NGOs face unprecedented levels of threats in real life and in the digital world. With limited resources, they often lack secure methods to collect OSINT. That’s why a digital investigations platform is being offered pro bono as part of a larger CISA initiative. 

Key takeaways

• New threats in the digital landscape
• The risks for journalists, NGOs and academics collecting OSINT
• How digital investigative teams can protect themselves

An analysts from DarkOwl joins us to discuss dark web research and all its facets. From AI and other trends on the dark web, to operational security, learn how to turn on the light beneath the surface of the internet.

Key takeaways

• AI and other dark web trends
• Operational security in dark web research
• How to search an unindexed environment

How can I get in? Steve Stasiukonis knows the power OSINT brings to this crucial pen testing question. From uncovering who to pose as, what to wear and how to forge a badge, OSINT can be the key you need to unlock a client's physical security. Steve also discusses the gold mine OSINT brings to cyber pen tests and what CTI pros need to know before going on the dark web.

Key takeaways

• How OSINT is used in pen testing
• Dark web OPSEC considerations
• How Steve easily broke into banks (for good!)

We go behind the scenes with Jon DiMaggio of Ransomware Diaries. As the chief security strategist at Analyst 1, Jon has conducted in-depth investigations of ransomware groups, including the famed Lockbit gang. He tells us the open-source tactics he uses and how cyber threats can take a mental toll.

Key takeaways

• Tracking the Lockbit story
• Where OSINT meets ransomware investigations
• The human element in threat detection

Bullsh*t Hunting creators Justin Seitz and Some Lawyer share their tips on how OSINT and legal investigation tactics can benefit one another. They talk about their series “The Hunt” as it examines suspicious legal proceedings and possible wrongful convictions. Plus we dive deep into public records requests with tips of how to get the information you need.

Key Takeaways

• How to effectively submit a public records request
• What OSINTers can learn from legal professionals and vice versa
• Think like a lawyer when searching legal databases