Open Source Intelligence 101

Don’t be fooled, Instagram can be just as dangerous as Facebook! Even though this social media network is a favourite for those who love to share every detail of their lives through photos, making sure your account is secure is an important step to take. Keep these five tips in mind and stay safe on Instagram… -- Don’t add your phone number to your profile In the private information section of your profile, keep in mind that less is always more! Even though your cell phone number is meant to be private, it can still be used to help you be “found” on Instagram, so it is best just to leave it out. -- Avoid tagging your location It may seem fun to snap a picture, upload it and tag your location, but remember that you are sharing this information with complete strangers. It’s not ideal that you post on Facebook that you are going away for a week, so it’s not ideal to tag all your Instagram posts. -- Be careful of linked accounts Linking your Instagram with...

With everyone being on multiple social media networks these days, privacy is a very rare thing. Because of this, social media networks are an easy way for scammers and bots to potentially pose a threat to users! However, there are certain actions that YOU are doing that can make things so much worse! To keep yourself safe and secure, use your common sense and always be sure to never, ever post these 4 things on your Facebook network or any other social media account.  - Home address or work address This should be an obvious one, but “Checking in” or adding your location to an image or post can also give away where you are. So, be careful when you’re adding geotags on your  Instagram  posts, because some creep might be trying to find out where you live or work. - Certain photos of children You should always be extra, extra careful when it comes to posting photos of children on social media. Always steer clear of uploading compromising images, like ...

Every year insurance fraud is committed, resulting in millions being lost, however, investigators who use social media to find important evidence are bringing down the numbers. At OSINT, our investigators use social media evidence to provide information against fraudsters. To find out more about our Open-Source Intelligence services please contact 021 110 0422 | email contact@osint.co.za or visit www.osint.co.za Here’s how OSINT investigators gather the evidence from social media networks: 1. Look out for inconsistent information. Is the person in question presenting on a story, but living another? Some people are unaware of what important information they are giving away on social media. For example, someone claims to have broken their arm at work, however their friend posts on their timeline or comments, “See you later at the pool,” or “Can’t wait to go bike riding this weekend!” This makes it obvious that some things are not what they seem. 2. Search for con...

Basically, everyone is on social media these days, so when you connect you’re basically advertising and sharing your life for the entire world to see. So why are social media investigations and social media intelligence so important? A trained professional can find information that any old regular person will never be able to spot as well as do so in the way that will ensure the evidence is secure, making sure they can prove who made the post, comment, etc. as well as prove when it was posted – even if it has already been deleted! At the OSINT division, we use our skills in the open-source intelligence department as well as a range of methods and techniques to find hidden social media accounts or ones that have private settings. Often when you are searching for someone on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. you will type in a name and a variety of accounts will appear, not including the ones that don’t show up in a public search. Because this happens we use a range of ...

Social media has made it possible for people to interact with each other from all over the world – everyone knows what everyone else is doing, where they’re going on vacation, when they got married, etc. However, social media networks have also made it possible for more users to become victims of scams. Over the last few years, social media scams have basically quadrupled with fake accounts popping up everywhere. Don’t become the next victim of a scam – here’s how to spot, prevent and deal with social media scams: - There is an ad or poster offering an amazing deal or job that sounds too good to be true. - A job, prize or loan application asks you to pay upfront beforehand. - A popular company uses a Yahoo or Gmail email account to contact you. - You are urged to act immediately! - They ask you to share your private information. - You get a friend request from a “friend” but they ask you random questions or for money. How to prevent social media scams fro...

Cyber criminals are everywhere, they’re even terrorizing your social media news feed! In this day and age your personal information such as where you go, what you do, who you chat to and what you like can be used as valuable data by cyber criminals. These cyber criminals will sell your private data to people who will use it to target ads, launch campaigns and other malicious operations. You may be thinking to yourself, I’m only one person; no one is going to target me. Well, you’re very wrong! Should you fall victim to a social media scam it not only affects you, it affects your entire network of friends and contacts. Make sure you know these common social media scams and avoid them as best you can… 1. Quizzes, Surveys & Contests. These scams are cute enough to make you think they’re completely innocent. And while you might think it’s all fun and games when they ask you your mothers date of birth or maiden name so you can see what Game of Thrones character yo...

Do you know what social media intelligence is? Well to put it simply, it is the collection, curation and overall analysis of data found online in order to provide a look into the actions and habits of a certain individual or group. In a time where most of the people in the world are on social media networks, social media intelligence can be used to learn a lot by just studying what they do online. Here are some interesting social media facts and stats: - The top eight social media networks are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube. - Did you know that more than half of the public use social media at least once a day? - YouTube is the most popular social media sharing website. - Facebook is the most popular social media sharing website – used by almost 70% of adults! - Social media use is higher for those who are younger – almost 90% of users are 18-29 years old. So why does social media intelligence and evidence found on social media matt...

Social media can be a great tool to document our daily lives, and when it comes to solving crimes, law enforcement officials and digital investigators view it as a valuable tool, too. *What is SmInt? Social Media Intelligence is the use of information stored within social media platforms to further the knowledge of a person, group or incident. Often this information is available unbeknownst to the user. While the information is not accessible at the click of a button it can be uncovered with queries and structured data calls.* A survey showed that majority use social media for several reasons: 1. Identifying people 2. Gathering evidence 3. Discovering criminal activity and locations 4. Community outreach 5. Soliciting crime tips 6. Notifying the public 7. Recruitment People put a great amount of personal, detailed information online. Targets even brag and post illicit valuable information in reference to travel, hobbies, places visited, functions, appointments, cir...

What is OsInt? Open Source Intelligence refers to the use of publicly accessible information as well as databases to collect information in a structured manner. Information is gained from Public and Private Databases, the surface web, the deep web and the dark web Who uses OsInt? OsInt is used by private and forensic investigators, attorneys, law enforcement, intelligence organisations, fraud investigators, human resources professionals, tracing agents and commercial enterprises. It is a key component of performing due diligence studies on persons and businesses. What is SmInt? Social Media Intelligence is the use of information stored within social media platforms to further the knowledge of a person, group or incident. Often this information is available unbeknownst to the user. While the information is not accessible at the click of a button it can be uncovered with queries and structured data calls. Is OsInt software? No, OsInt and SmInt are processes. These processes...