Reflecting on 2023: A Year of OSINT Achievements

With 2023 drawing to a close, I've been reflecting on Skopenow's best year ever. Thank you to our customers and partners—your trust and collaboration have played a pivotal role in helping Skopenow achieve our goals.  

This year marked numerous triumphs for the team. We introduced two awesome products, solidifying Skopenow as one of the most comprehensive, end-to-end OSINT platforms on the market. Our efforts have helped add additional automation and innovation to all of our products, streamlining the investigative processes for our users. On the commercial side of the business, we delivered four consecutive quarters of record growth while also soaring past 1,500 customers and 30,000 users.

In a year rich with accomplishments, we also deepened our ties with the OSINT community, engaging with professionals in the intelligence, investigation, and security community at over 40 trade shows and industry events. These served as more than just showcases for our latest products; they were invaluable opportunities for exchanging insights and expertise.

The driving force behind our success has been our fantastic team. This dedication was recognized this year with Skopenow being named the leader in OSINT in Frost & Sullivan's Radar: Open-Source Intelligence Solutions 2023, and with Link Analysis winning the OSMOSIS Institute's Tech Innovation award for 2023.

Next, we're thrilled to share the exceptional OSINT education and resources we've developed, including our most popular blogs and webinars, from the last twelve months. Join us as we revisit some of the unique content that was especially noteworthy.

Top 5 Blogs of 2023

• Uncovering Connections: How Link Analysis Can Streamline OSINT Investigations
  Discover how modern link analysis tools help investigators visualize relationships and unearth hidden networks using publicly available data. A must-read for uncovering intricate connections. Read it now.

• Targeting Timepieces: How OSINT Combats Luxury Watch Theft Rings and Enhances Executive Protection
  With luxury watch theft on the rise in 2023, we explore how OSINT aids security teams in preventing thefts and recovering stolen assets. Read it now.

• The Rising Threat of State-Sponsored Organized Crime
  We delve into the dangerous union of organized crime groups and hostile states, and how this poses geopolitical challenges. Our insights focus on strategies for enforcement and government agencies to identify and counter these threats. Read it now.

• Auto Insurance Fraud Schemes & How to Combat Them with Automated OSINT Solutions
  Dean Cornelison, one of Skopenow’s product gurus, shares his 30+ years of experience in insurance fraud investigation, offering strategies to use OSINT in combating auto insurance fraud. Read it now.
• Metadata and Hashing: Creating Court-Admissible Evidence from OSINT
  Nick Kauffman, one of Skopenow’s SLED specialists, discusses maintaining data accuracy and integrity in online investigations for court-admissible evidence. Read it now.
  
  

Top 5 Webinars to Watch

• OSINT Live
  Five OSINT thought leaders host individual sessions to discuss key tools, techniques, methodologies, case studies, and innovations in this replay of our annual flagship virtual industry event. Watch now.

• The State of OSINT
  An in-depth discussion on our "State of OSINT" report, revealing the top trends, challenges, information sources, and most effective tools and techniques used by OSINT professionals. Watch now.

• Top Trends & Predictions in Open-Source Intelligence
  Rob Douglas, Co-Founder & CEO of Skopenow, and Mark Turnage, Co-Founder & CEO of DarkOwl, on the latest threats and OSINT techniques to address them. Watch now.
  
  
• Deriving Location Intelligence From OSINT Data
  Learn how to utilize social media and fitness tracking apps for extracting valuable location data. Watch now.
  

• OSINT Documentation: Capturing Intel and Evidence
  Practical guidance on capturing, organizing, and storing internet-based evidence ethically and efficiently. Watch now.
  
  

Our Top 5 Real-World OSINT Use Cases 2023

Finally, in addition to our resources, our team also kept an eye on the application of OSINT by investigators and criminals alike throughout the year. We curated a selection of the most intriguing real-world use cases that made headlines in 2023. 

• The chef, the model, and Rishi's missing millions
  BBC used Strava to track a money laundering gang member via his daily cycling route.  Read more here.

• How a Montenegrin Gang Used Open-Source Intelligence to Kill
  Hitmen exploit social media clues to locate and eliminate a rival gang leader in Greece. Read more here.

• Online Sleuths Untangle the Mystery of the Nord Stream Sabotage
  Researchers employ public data to investigate the Nord Stream explosions. Read more here.

• Man fined for flying drone near World War Two Hurricane aircraft
  UK police track down a drone operator endangering an aircraft via his social media posts. Read more here.

• Ukraine war: Russian ex-navy commander shot dead while jogging in Krasnodar
  A Russian ex-naval officer is assassinated, traced through Strava data and a public enemy database. Read more here. 

As we turn the final pages of 2023, the entire Skopenow team looks forward to continuing our partnerships and relationships across the industry, working to solve big problems and capitalizing on opportunities that lie ahead. We wish everyone a happy and successful new year.