NeedleStack (Authentic8)

From government to private enterprise, counterintelligence can unlock big benefits in cybersecurity. We sit down with a counterintelligence professional to define the practice, and how everyone can benefit by employing it.

Everyone is talking about using AI for OSINT, but what are the ethical considerations before you fire up your first chat? Before you start feeding a machine learning model your data and relying on it’s results, our guest from Fivecast tells us what you should consider.

Key takeaways

• ChatGPT has built-in biases (just like humans)
• Understand the human toll behind machine learning
• How to use AI responsibly

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

Ritu Gill, or @OSINTtechniques as she’s known online, joins the podcast to give tips for social media intelligence gathering. What are the little-known platforms to look at and how do you gather safely? Tune in to hear the tips.

Key takeaways

• Overlooked social media platforms for evidence gathering
• OPSEC for law enforcement
• Tips for beginning OSINT practitioners

As commercial satellites increase and technology advances, what does the future of geospatial intelligence look like? We ask our guest to explain the basics of GEOINT, where it’s headed and how other industries can utilize one of the most fascinating -INTs.

Authoritarian regimes create propaganda and disinformation, in part, by blocking citizens’ access to traditional news sources. In this episode, co-founder of Samizdat Online, Yevgeny Simkin, walks us through how their program works in partnership with outlets to syndicate articles to bypass censorship in Russia and other countries — to get citizens and researchers the information they need.

Michael James of the OSINT Curious Project joins the podcast to give expert tips on conducting dark web research. From GitHub tools to Discord resources— Michael has practical guidance on finding information in the dark.

There are many paths to OSINT — one of them is through training programs and online resources! Aubrey and Shannon break down what’s available, what’s free (or not) to keep you abreast of how you can gain and further your OSINT skills.

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!)

The times they are a’changing. Open-source intelligence was once the lesser celebrated branch and now makes up the bulk of analytical reporting. Our guest tells how the federal government is changing its views on OSINT.

Producers Aubrey and Shannon review the latest articles and research on using AI in OSINT. Should you consider using AI chatbots in research now or in the future? And if so, how can you do so securely and with verification in mind?

Key takeaways

• AI chatbots aren’t great at OSINT right now, but they might be one day
• Verification is key
• You need an access policy

As analysts assess how AI could improve their workflow, Babel Street is presenting technology that can help border agents better name-match terrorist watchlist to travelers. Declan Trezise, vice president of global solutions engineering, joins the show to discuss how AI can create more seamless borders for agents and innocent travelers.

Key Takeaways

• Digitization and the future of borders
• Name–matching technology for terrorism watchlists
• Creating faster, seamless travel for citizens

Disguising your digital fingerprint is imperative to the results of online research. This episode, the hosts dive into the tools that can help investigators understand and manage their identity online. From websites to browsers, extensions and full-service managed attribution platforms, here are the tools you need to blend in online.

Wondering how to incorporate AI into your OSINT framework? We asked the CEO and founder of the popular training organization, OSINT Combine.

Key takeaways

• How can OSINT researchers leverage generative AI?
• Tips for spotting disinformation in an AI world
• Teaching ChatGPT your company datasets

We’re handing the mic over to our friends at Talking Threat Intelligence, a podcast by LifeRaft today. On the show, they had our very own Daniel Ben-Chitrit on to discuss the security implications of ChatGPT, how it could be used by phishing scammers to up their skills and the safest way for OSINT researchers to prompt AI.

Key takeaways

• Security implications of ChatGPT
• “A force multiplier” for phishing scammers
• The safest way for OSINT researchers to prompt AI

Nick Hardinges from the Reuters fact-checking team joins the podcast to walk us through how to go about debunking information online, from deciding what’s worth covering to why grainy images should make you skeptical. Ultimately, fact-checking takes time, persistence and a healthy dose of intrigue.

Key takeaways

• Know these telltale signs of doctored content
• Check your sources
• Do some digging on what you see

About Nick

Nick Hardinges is a former digital news editor and current fact-checker for Reuters, whose job is to find harmful, widely circulating and topical misinformation, and then address those claims in articles directly responding to the claims being made. Nick’s main focus is on setting the record straight on social media but to sometimes address claims from elsewhere, such as outright lies in politics, or damaging conclusions reached in unscientific ‘research’ papers.

Where to find Nick

• @NickHardinges
• FIFA COVID misinformation story
• Spotting the difference between legitimate videos and satire

Trust and safety is a constantly growing and evolving field. In this episode, we cover the basics of the industry and the role of OSINT in minimizing risk to end users. We also discuss the risks to researchers when their investigations take them off-platform and into the wild of the web.

Meet the new hosts of NeedleStack. Robert Vamosi is a CISSP and award-winning journalist. AJ Nash has two decades of experience in the Intelligence community. Together they will host new episodes of NeedleStack, with an array of amazing guests.

Abbi Dobbertin of Fivecast and Adam Huenke join the podcast to talk hot takes. As tradecraft and training leads, respectively, and years of OSINT practitioner experience between them, they’ve come to form opinions on some of OSINT’s more heated topics.

It’s a new year and as researchers work to hit their goals, we want to revisit some of our most important advice for securely investigating online. It’s time to take stock of your security hygiene and revisit how your digital fingerprint may be getting in the way of finding the data you need.

Mis- and disinformation abound on social media. But as violating users are deplatformed from mainstream sites, they’ve become hyper-concentrated on alternative social media where anything goes. We sit down with Dr. Welton Chang, CEO and co-founder of Pyrra Technologies, to discuss how AI/ML is helping researchers zero-in on disinformation, domestic extremism, hate speech and more, and understand how to counteract it.

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

The chief investigations officer of the National Child Protection Task Force shares the tools and methods he trains law enforcement on, how he protects his mental health in a such a devastating field and the latest platforms and technology to stay on top of.

Key takeaways

• OSINT for child protection
• The importance of mental health
• What law enforcement need to know about trafficking

You’re conducting your research. It seems like it’s going successfully. But unbeknownst to you, the subject of your research is onto you, knows you’re snooping and is working to spoil your investigation. This is thanks to your digital fingerprint being passed by your browser. In this panel discussion, we dive deeeep into all the ways details of your digital fingerprint can be discovered — even when using tools built to disguise it — and how adversaries can take advantage of it.

Propublica reporter and author of the Digital Investigations newsletter, Craig Silverman joins the podcast to discuss disinformation trends on social media platforms, elections around the world in 2024 and what journalists and OSINT investigators can learn from each other.

Key takeaways

• OSINT for investigative journalism
• Disinformation trends on social media
• Documenting evidence during an investigation

We sit down with the author of the new OSINT reference book Deep Dive: Exploring the Real-world Value of Open Source Intelligence, Rae Baker. Baker is an expert in OSINT with an emphasis on maritime intelligence, analyzing vessels and ports around the world. In this episode, she shares tips from her book, blog and career, and we explore her one-of-a-kind OSINT training game, Kase Scenarios.

Needlestack hosts answered live questions from our listeners in this special episode. From use cases in different industries to world news to tools to help researchers – Matt and Jeff discussed the role of OSINT in professional research.

In this episode, an expert OSINT practitioner from both government and private sector practices joins to share hands-on tips from in the field. He also shares what the students of Center for Intelligence and Research and Training are learning from their real-world client experiences.

There’s a (false) assumption that cryptocurrency is inherently anonymous, concealing the identity of those who use it. But in fact, crypto has been used in countless investigations to unmask criminals and bring them to justice. We sit down with Matt Price, former IRS-CI special agent and current head of investigations and intelligence at Binance, to bust the myths of crypto and the dark web, and learn how the best advice to any investigator holds true for crypto: follow the money.

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

Our second book club episode features essential reading for threat intelligence. New York Times reporter, Nicole Perloth, gives a history of the zero-day market and how it has changed the cyber weapons arms race. Learn how this market was created and what it means for future cyber defense.

The director of the soon-to-open Open-Source Intelligence Laboratory of University of Albany joins the podcast to discuss the definition of OSINT and how his students will research its effect on society.

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

The president of the OSMOSIS Association and host of OSINT Cocktail, Cynthia Navarro, joins the podcast to discuss how creating a community of open-source researchers had allowed her to learn from others and hone her skills.

Our guest is a former FBI investigator and current university professor who has tips for practitioners in every industry. From the protocol before you log on to conduct OSINT research to the resources and reporting, here are the tips for approaching your OSINT like law enforcement.

This week, a high school criminology teacher joins the podcast to discuss how teaching open-source research helped engage his students during distant learning. In the classroom, OSINT can show students the power of open-source information and serves as a cautionary tale for sharing personally identifiable information online.

The surprising identity behind some of the internet’s most nefarious hacks and why sometimes criminals are more willing to talk than victims of a crime, we discuss the dark side of the web with Darknet Diaries host Jack Rhysider.

Do you wish you had more training opportunities or just chances to flex your OSINT skills? We’re hosting a big event this month where we’ll talk ways to level up your tradecraft, training opportunities, take-home tips and more.

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has been playing out on the world stage in a big way over the past few weeks. Social media platforms like TikTok have become insightful sources for analysts to track Russian military movements in the Ukraine invasion. Tracking disinformation on various sites shows a war being fought with more than tanks — Russia is using culture and the power of the media. And auxiliary intelligence is a growing resource in governments gaining OSINT.

We discuss recent Bellingcat reports on whether AI has the capability to reliably identify AI. The reporter and fellow shares his research on AI for OSINT and the results.

Key takeaways

• Testing AI’s ability to recognize AI art
• Blending journalism and OSINT at Bellingcat
• How machine learning should and shouldn’t be used in OSINT

After spending 22 years in the U.S. Air Force building the branch’s cyber presence worldwide and reshaping its cyber curriculum, Lance Taylor now applies his background to the private sector. From lessons he’s learned along the way to the best tools for the job, Lance tells us how companies can improve their intel.

In this episode, our guest brings more than 30 years of experience from the Department of Defense to the conversation. James A. Samuel, Jr. is now in the private sector working as an entrepreneur in the GEOINT space, using his military knowledge to create apps that use location data to protect safety.

Fact-checkers’ biggest nemesis is the proliferation of disinformation in the digital age. Chris Paul joins the episode to talk about Russian propaganda and disinformation techniques. Why are they so effective? Is it skill or just an innate vulnerability for humans to want to believe what they see? Chris Paul walks us through his research from the technical to the psychological.

A founding member of the OSINT Curious Project joins us to give practical tips and advice for researchers. We discuss tools, tradecraft and trends with Micah Hoffman.

It takes a team of people to provide protection to executives and one of their most important tools for offering the best protection is OSINT. Whether searching Facebook for public protests or getting a tip from Twitter, guest Mick Baccio explains how open-source is a key tool in the field.

Social media and traditional media overlap now more than ever, with social media providing an opportunity to reach and resonate with new audiences – for better or worse. Rachel Baig knows this intersection well. As a social media journalist and trainer for Deutsche Welle, she knows the ins and outs of not only using social to identify a great story but also how to spot a fake one. In this episode, Rachel breaks down important lessons from her training to understand media spoofs, verify images and videos, spot tell-tale signs of bots and more.

We attended USGIF’s GEOINT Symposium so you don’t have to (but you should – it’s great). NeedleStack producers Aubrey and Shannon break down the geospatial intelligence conference (and its many, many acronyms) and the presence of OSINT on the floor, in keynotes and the Innovation Hub. If you’re an open-source researcher, tune in to understand what’s out there and how to leverage this adjacent INT.

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

Fact-checking can be seen as the undoing of a story, tearing apart the salacious tidbits to get at the bloody — or perhaps just boring — truth. In this episode, veteran journalist and lead of AFP's award-winning digital verification team in Africa, Nina Lamparski, sits down in the NeedleStack guest seat to discuss fact-checking and debunking in the age of misinformation, how local media consumption habits impact her work, fact-checking in election cycles and more.

In an effort to conceal their identity, online researchers may turn to the solutions they know: VPNs, Inocgnito Mode and free Wi-Fi. While these solutions may appear to be working on the surface, there’s lots of details still being disclosed to sites they visit. Tune in to learn what these solutions miss and what’s needed to truly blend in with the crowd to ensure quality research.

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

Tune into the podcast every week to learn how to hone your online research skills with better tradecraft. Hear from our host Matt Ashburn and co-host Jeff Phillips as they share tips, tricks and tools to protect your identity, stay safe while you search and improve the efficiency of your investigations. Learn more at authentic8.com/needlestack.

In episode 20 we interview Rob Fuller, the red team and CTI director for a major U.S. airline. Rob discusses how red teams can better leverage CTI, the grand mistakes of even the most security-conscious individuals, and why he thinks most security awareness training gets it wrong.

The latest episode in our OSINT use case tour covers how open-source can be applied to law enforcement. The popular use of social media has made it so that more and more of the clues investigators are looking for can be freely found.

Watch when Jack Rhysider of Darknet Diaries shares his amazement at what hackers will do “for a free burrito,” or the moment Rob Fuller, a read team and CTI director, condemns security awareness training. From journalists to OSINT investigators to dark web experts, here are some of the best moments we shared with guests last season.

In our first listeners live episode, Matt and Jeff take questions from our live audience. They cover resources that can be useful in finding the best OSINT tools; advantages to using native-language search engines in international research; free training for OSINT analysts; and managing attribution to access the information you need. Listen on-demand, or sign up for our upcoming live events at authentic8.com/events/needlestack.

OSINT is a powerful tool to identify vulnerabilities in your organization. But with all the information out there, how do you zero-in on the data you need quickly? In this episode, host and former CISO Matt Ashburn gives his advice on go-to resources, where to automate, how to truly gain an outside perspective and tradecraft considerations.

From a love of Tom Clancy novels to military intelligence to “the ivory tower” of industry analysts, Rick Holland’s road to Digital Shadow’s CISO taught him many lessons along the way. Rick shares his advice for building an intel team, including: avoid homogenous groups; take time to strategize — and follow — processes for OSINT collection on the surface, deep and dark (or derp) web; and remember the importance of human relationships even in the tech-heavy world of threat intelligence.

In this episode, host Matt Ashburn, and co-host Jeff Phillips, break down everything you needed to know about the dark web. From how it works and why it was invented to things to consider before conducting your research there – we cover all the questions you were too afraid to ask.

We talk to an OSINT professional about what he learned when he applied his daytime skills to a moonlighting hobby. On YouTube, Gary Ruddell shares 3-minute tips, geolocates scenes from movies and shares the OSINT discipline he learned from the U.K. military with hobbyists and practitioners just starting out.

Key takeaways:

• Applying the intelligence cycle
• Executive protection with social media
• Geolocation clues from the shortest frame

This special edition of NeedleStack features a must-read for open-source researchers, We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins. Our producer Shannon discusses what she learned from the founder of Bellingcat’s tell-all and how researchers can learn from the organization’s practices.

This week the team is joined by threat intelligence researcher Adam Huenke to go over the importance of open-source intelligence to CTI research. From social media to the dark web, freely available information can be found to help improve security.

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

DefCon speaker and host of DoingFedTime on YouTube, Sam Bent joins the podcast to shine light on operational security concerns on the dark web. The reformed darknet marketplace seller shares insights and advice for best practices when investigating on the dark web. 

Key takeaways:

• OPSEC on the dark web
• The different darknets
• Linguistic analysis in evidence gathering

Eileen Ormsby has chatted with drug lords, been threatened by purported hitmen and written books about The Silk Road. Her investigative journalism led her to the dark web, where she has been reporting her findings ever since.

Jacob Lloyd, head of investigations at Animal Welfare Investigations Project, has been putting OSINT skills to use to stop organized animal crime — dogfights, puppy mills, badger baiting and more. Jacob discusses how these crimes are often neglected by law enforcement due to lack of training and are thus dealt with reactively. He explains how to leverage pedigree sites, social media and other online sources to proactively investigate animal crime and save animals from this horrible fate. 

Key takeaways

• What pedigree sites can tell you about fighting dogs and their owners
• How prevalent information on organized animal crime is on the surface web
• How to get involved with Animal Welfare Investigations Project

In this episode, podcast contributor Adam Huenke discusses how to investigate financial crimes on the dark web. How do stolen credit card numbers affect the victim of theft, the institution and those who investigate fraud? Tune in to hear all about it.

The intersection of open-source information, disinformation, social media and journalism has spawned a new breed of investigator.

Meet Brecht Castel, fact-checking journalist and OSINT aficionado. In this episode, Brecht shares his advice on how to be good at both. Learn how his background as a journalist helps him dig deeper, beyond “hashtag OSINT” and get the bigger story. And how his passion for OSINT has led down many interesting paths — from locating one tree in the whole of Africa to explaining why a mosquito with a number on its back is not part of Bill Gates’ plan for world domination (or even a mosquito, for that matter).

Jessica Smith, president and founder of ClickSafe intelligence and special investigations lead with the National Child Protection Task Force, joins the podcast to dispel misconceptions about child protection. From who is being targeted to where and how, Jessica Smith shares how misinformation about child exploitation can derail investigations, and how OSINT helps pave the way for child protection.

Key takeaways

• Misinformation around child protection can adversely affect investigations
• How OSINT plays a role in helping victims
• The new platforms where kids are targeted
• Tips for vigilance and education

The use cases for online research have exploded in recent years and have become critical practices not just in government and law enforcement agencies, but also in commercial organizations of all sizes. We look at the impact online research has, what are the risks to those who perform sensitive research and what needs to change in the practice.

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

How can researchers keep up with all the changes in the OSINT landscape? From AI to constantly shifting social media platforms, Neil Spencer from LifeRaft gives tips for how to adapt and optimize your OSINT practice.

Key takeaways

• How AI has evolved
• Massive shifts on social media platforms
• Threat verification

In this listeners live episode, Matt answers questions from the audience that have come up over our dark web episodes. Get sage advice on safely accessing the dark web without running afoul of policy, blockchain analysis (or the lack thereof with Monero), how to use PGP encryption to communicate with dark web actors and more.

Not his real name, but there’s real fun to be had learning how JoseMonkey geolocates videos on his wildly popular TikTok channel. Hear the tools, techniques and process he uses to pinpoint even the trickiest videos, the wildest things he’s seen and how this supersleuth got into the GEOINT game.

Cybersecurity is rife with technological solutions, but as security researcher John Hammond knows all too well, it’s people that make the difference. Hear how people make or break security intel, both as researchers and threat actors. We’ll talk sock puppets, the role of OSINT for your own OPSEC and intelligence building, cybergang leaders as businessmen and more. Plus we’ll dive into John’s recent OSINT work on the ScreenConnect vulnerabilities and how they’re being leveraged in the wild.

Key takeaways

• Using OSINT for opsec to protect your identity and enhance security intelligence
• Lurking in dark web forums, sock puppets and engaging with threat actors
• The role OSINT played in dissecting ScreenConnect vulnerabilities and exploits in the wild

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

Blending in with the crowd is critical to performing successful online research. If adversaries or the targets of your research can recognize your digital fingerprint, you could get blocked, targeted, infected, identified or tracked. In this episode, we’ll explain what’s in a digital fingerprint, how traditional browsers share this information, what it can mean for research projects and what’s needed to manage it.

Producers Shannon and Aubrey attend the 2023 Symposium on Open Source, Social Media and National Security. They discuss highlights, panel topics and advice for people hoping to break into a career in OSINT, INFOSEC and NATSEC.

Without the right appreciation for intelligence, organizations may be hiring themselves into a problem. Vice President of Intelligence at ZeroFox A.J. Nash sits down with NeedleStack to discuss the fundamentals of intelligence, how to build and lead the best teams, and why as analysts doing the easy thing may be doing the best thing.