This is a website that describes various terrorist groups of the world. It lists their known activities, their strength, location/area of operation and external aid. It is part of the SITE Institute's website that documents and tracks terror-related violence and "extremist websites, public records, and international media reports" to establish "links among terrorist entities and their supporters." Site features links to news, background on terrorist groups, material about court cases, and audio and video clips. Some material in other sections of the site available for a fee. Publisher: SITE Intelligence Group.
http://www.clrn.org/weblinks/details.cfm?id=2316 http://news.siteintelgroup.com/
Open Source Intelligence: A Strategic Enabler Of National Security
http://se1.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent?serviceID=PublishingHouse&fileid=B5D36B62-0E20-BC0B-DD2E-C12E73D54892&lng=en
Utilization Of Internet Tools And Resources For Open Source Intelligence (awesome site for the open source analyst) http://www.onstrat.com/osint/
Open Source Intelligence Support
National Virtual Translation Center (The National Virtual Translation Center (NVTC) was established in February, 2003 " for the purpose of providing timely and accurate translations of foreign intelligence for all elements of the Intelligence Community.) http://www.nvtc.gov/
Open Source Intelligence Training
Department Of Homeland Security (requires password)
I have nothing but good things to say about these folks; they provide a superb service. I have taken all the courses below to include several webinar training sessions and I highly recommend them to the serious open source analyst.
https://www.intelink.gov/sites/dhs-ose/training/default.aspx Module 1 - The Value and Definition of Open Source
Module 2 - Assessing Reliability of Sources Module 3 - Search Engines
Module 4 - The Deep Web Module 5 - The Use of RSS
Module 6 - Social Bookmarking InfoSphere http://www.infosphere.se/extra/pod/?id=142&module_instance=1&action=pod_show http://www.infosphere.se/extra/pod/?id=117&module_instance=1&action=pod_show by Paterva the course does not center just on Maltego technology. The training course focuses on the underlying technology and tecniques and tries to give students insight in how the tool collects and
correlates the information. http://www.paterva.com/web4/index.php/services
OSINT Exploitation and The Criminal Threat
First off let me state that no self respecting criminal would be without a wireless connection and all the apps that go with it.
This section is devoted to technology that is very easily exploitable by criminals. I use the word “criminal”
as an umbrella term for anything from gangs to terrorists, human/drug/weapon smugglers to burglars, and anything in between. In other words, it is all-encompassing. It is not difficult to think like a criminal; all of us have at some point thought about doing something cruel. But for the most part we do not carry out our thoughts into action because we are law abiding citizens and we are rational people. Think about the time when a neighbor, a friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, or relative did something to displease us. Human nature, and psychology, says get even and do something back. But again, we are rational people. What I am trying to drive here is the point that all of us are capable of evil thought and it does not matter who we are.
We just don’t admit to it. Remember Jimmy Carter and lust; not necessarily evil though. How about Bill Clinton and “I did not inhale “. They admitted to things in the hope that by doing this they would get positive results but instead those innocent comments came back to haunt them and they became the butt end of jokes. So, go ahead! Think like a human or drug smuggler. Think like a terrorist. Think like a gang banger. Think like a drug cartel boss. But most of all think! How can I exploit technology to further my criminal enterprise? By doing this brand of thinking you help law enforcement counter the threat whatever it may be or at least make them aware of the type of countermeasures to employ.
Why is it that most of the OSINT discussions are held behind firewalls and there is a requirement for passwords to access the subject? No, enough! I am going out on a limb and invite all to it. What a contradiction in terms. Open source but yet very hush, hush. We are not fooling anyone. Even criminals know how to exploit open source information and create intelligence from it. When I told a good friend of mine of what I intended to do, this is what he had to say. “We are not dealing with ignorant or stupid people. These people come from our professions, the computer industry, are computer engineers, etc. If you check open source you will see the bad guys asking for people with these skills. Not putting the information out in the open or in a book because the bad guys will find out and use it is only for those that are new to the game, do not understand the criminal element or their MO. In addition not having this information will hinder us as the new people to the game may not even know we know... Bad guys leave trails when they get sloppy and they do.”
Personal Drones: When and where does it end? That is, making it easier for the enemy. Let’s go beyond celebrity stalking and spying on your neighbors. Drug Cartels, human and drug smugglers are always on the lookout for anything that will make their activities more successful. Let’s role play: I am a smuggler (humans or drugs) and I have lookouts on high hills overlooking the border fence reporting activities back to me, however, they are static and cannot maneuver from their high points. I can utilize drones to hover over the fence/border for 360 degree coverage. I can see where the Border Patrol vehicle is on the other side of the fence; something my lookout even on a high point cannot observe. I can also determine how long it takes for the patrol to make a round of the area. What else can I make out? What they look like and now I can make contact with them when they are off duty for possible bribery. The options are without limits. I have millions at my disposal. I will buy several for the kids along the border to enjoy flying while I interleave my own surveillance drone into the mix. I could also land mine on the other side to lay in wait and observe. Granted the batteries do not last long but I don’t need that much
downtime. As soon as I observe what I need, I can bring my craft back over the fence and send another to lie in wait or do other types of collection. I can hire techies and have them experiment with the drones to extend their range and battery life. Does it sound far fetched? I don’t think so.
Pandora’s Box
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1327343/Personal-recreation-drones-developed.html http://robotsrule.com/html/ar-parrot-drone.php?ref=drone1#video
When The Drones Come Marching In http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/29/drones/#
The Nano Humminbird http://www.avinc.com/
http://www.engineeringtv.com/video/AeroVironment-Wasp-and-Switchbl
Smartphone Applications
Now here are two apps no self respecting terrorist or smuggler should be without; Compass and
GpsCompassMap. My intentions are not of sounding heartless or to delve into the macabre but rather to point out the control criminals obtain with this technology. The following examples deal mostly with Google Earth and how it has been utilized by terrorists. With the newer applications one does not need the desktop or laptop computer but a simple smartphone with all the bells and whistles of a regular CPU.
The other advantage is that you do not leave as large an electronic footprint. The smartphone GPS is turned on as needed to avoid detection. There are other ways also.
No doubt you have heard or read about Iraqi insurgents having Google Earth imagery of British military bases (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070312-google-censor.html).
There are indications that the gunmen who stormed Mumbai on November 26, and the people who trained them, were technically literate. The group appears to have used complex GPS systems to navigate their way to Mumbai by sea. They communicated by satellite phone, used mobile phones with several different SIM cards, and may have monitored events as the siege unfolded via handheld Blackberry web browsers
(http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5311241.ece).
Israel’s fears in regards to Google Earth’s satellite imaging tools have come to fruition. Members of Palestine’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a group aligned with the Fatah political party, has admitted to using Google Earth for mapping targets for rocket strikes. Khaled Jaabari, the group’s commander, has said that they are using Google Earth images to check details against their own maps in order to find sensitive areas that are vulnerable to strikes (http://mashable.com/2007/10/25/missile-attacks-israel-google-earth/).
Compass – I have tried this one and although still a little quirky it gives GR8 results. I can just begin to imagine the ways a criminal can put this technology to use. It is accurate when it comes to the
coordinates and addresses. I cross referenced it with Google Earth, also on my smartphone, and it is right on. Using those two in concert give excellent results. Very handy for a criminal away from built up areas where all they want are coordinates that can be saved and returned to at a later date. I think you get my implication here.
GpsCompassMap – Another great little app. Combine Google Earth, Compass and this one and you have some power at your disposal. This one could replace Compass altogether but the more apps to cross check for accuracy, the better. Criminals are sure to fall in love with this one. It is extremely accurate. Went home for lunch and adjusted all the settings for the round-trip. It tells how many satellites are available and the number it is taking advantage of. Speed (miles, kilometers, knots, etc) of vehicle is very accurate as I compared it to my speedometer. As you leave the departure point the screen adjusts to show the entire track and at the end shows distance traveled. Geo coordiantes which change according to location are a great feature. Superb tool for smugglers on the Southwest (Arizona/Mexico) Border, but that’s as far as I go with how to use it.
Untraceable Encrypted Blackberrys - Mexico has no reliable register of handsets, mobile numbers, or users. Vendors are unregistered and sell the phones and SIM cards for cash, no questions asked. In other words, the cartels have nothing to worry about until such a time that Mexico makes strides to establish an official registry. (http://www.theage.com.au/national/bikies-trafficking-in-data-secrecy-using-mexican-blackberrys-20110205-1aht9.html)