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OSINT Blog
Antiques and OSINT - Investigating the Trafficking of Valuables
Criminal trafficking can call to mind the widely recognized and destructive trade of narcotics or people, but there’s a different kind of illegal trade that’s less visible: the illicit trafficking of antiques and other cultural treasures. Protecting historical relics and art is a global issue that continues to gain attention, highlighted by the United…
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OSINT for Critical Infrastructure Protection: Identifying and Mitigating Threats to National Security and Stability
The stability of critical infrastructure—from public utilities to transportation networks and computer networks—is fundamental to the basic function of society, not to mention national security and public safety. The government agencies responsible for protecting these essential assets face ever-evolving threats originating both online and in the…
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How Answer Engines Are Changing OSINT (Plus 5 Tips to Leverage Them)
The methods for gathering online information are constantly shifting, but a new player has emerged that's entirely reshaping how we access and process data: answer engines. These AI-powered platforms are revolutionizing the search experience, offering direct answers to queries instead of a list of links. For OSINT professionals, this shift presents…
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Navigating the Maze of False Information during OSINT Investigations
At this year’s OSMOSISCon, Skopenow’s digital investigations expert, Steve Adams, took the stage to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing OSINT practitioners today: how to navigate the murky waters of false information in search of the truth. Here, we’ll review his session’s key takeaways and the strategies he covered, which offer insights…
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OSINT Live 2024 Recap: Top Takeaways
Our third annual OSINT Live event has officially wrapped. Like in previous years, the sessions delivered a wealth of actionable insights and vital knowledge for OSINT practitioners across industries. If you missed it or want to revisit the highlights, we’ve compiled takeaways from each of the sessions that we felt particularly stood out.
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The ROI of Automated OSINT, Part III: Investigating Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking
Law enforcement agencies—from local police departments to federal task forces—are under mounting pressure to combat organized crime groups (OCGs) involved in the trafficking and manufacture of deadly drugs like fentanyl. These criminal networks operate across state lines and international borders, making disruption difficult yet critical—in 2023,…
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The ROI of Automated OSINT, Part II: Corporate Security Threat Detection and Investigation
Corporate security teams face an ever-expanding juggling act, tasked with protecting their people, assets, and reputation from insider and external threats. These objectives are like a circus juggling act—if any balls are ignored even for a moment, they could come crashing down. As the size and complexity of this act increases, so too does the need for…
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Tracing Digital Deception: How OSINT Can Stop Falsehoods From Going Viral
There’s a saying often attributed to Mark Twain: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth puts on its shoes.” Whether Mr. Twain actually said that is uncertain (and a potential case of misinformation itself), but what isn’t debatable is that disinformation — false information deliberately created and spread to deceive — and…
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The ROI of Automated OSINT, Part I: Insurance Fraud & Claims Investigations
Insurance companies are built on their margins. They must balance risk and losses against revenue in order to hit their business goals while serving their customers. That’s why achieving positive returns on their investments is so critical for success.
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Telegram's Shadow Scammers: How OSINT Can Counter Retail Fraud Schemes
In shadowy corners of the internet, retail scammers are finding new ways to organize and share their illicit tactics. Messaging apps like Telegram have become hotbeds for these criminal networks, presenting a whole new realm for retailers worldwide to contend with. Today, we explore how scammers operate on these platforms, as well as how open-source…
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