Welcome and Opening Address

Using OSINT to Counter Foreign Interference

Presenter: Ben Cornish
 

Foreign Interference is becoming an increasingly relevant risk consideration for governments, industry and organisations, particularly those connected to Critical Infrastructure. But it is not just the responsibility of government or security agencies to protect us from foreign interference activities.
 

In this presentation, Ben will discuss why organisations need to be proactive in identifying, assessing and managing Foreign Interference Risks and explore, using various case studies, how OSINT can be used illuminate these risks and enable the implementation of mitigations strategies.

Teaching OSINT Through Hands-on Activities

Presenters: Micah Hoffman and Griffin Glynn

Many of us have seen OSINT and geolocation challenges posted on social media. You know, "Tell me where I was when I took this picture." or "What plane is flying in this image?" One-off challenges like these can be great methods of learning or testing a skill but lack the growth opportunities that larger, organized, Capture The Flag (CTF) events.
 

Morning Tea Break

Future pathways for Open-Source Intelligence in government

Presenter: Adam Calver
 

Open-source intelligence collection is a relatively new capability within most of New Zealand’s governmental agencies. As a small nation, with an even smaller intelligence community, how do we best create a collective operating environment with the intent to promote professional excellence?

Adam, Principal Open-Source Analyst at the NZ Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, will discuss future pathways for open-source tradecraft and training in government; the recently launched open-source hub ‘Te Whakaara’ that is working to evolve New Zealand’s OSINT environment, with an emphasis on the practitioner; and the potential success that comes from outsourcing training to an external service provider.

Protecting your Online Footprint

Presenter: Ritu Gill

One of the keys to online research is finding the digital breadcrumbs that people leave behind online. That said, this talk covers online privacy mistakes people often make that leave them vulnerable to bad actors. Ways to minimize the risk will be discussed including talking about OPSEC and basic tips everyone can use to protect their online footprint.

The Devil Is In The Data: Sports betting investigations through the prism of open-source intelligence

Presenter: Jack Kerr
 

The explosive growth of online gambling in recent years has been mirrored by a huge increase in match fixing, with one in every 200 games now believed to be fixed. Money launderers have also welcomed this new way of betting, and both these problems are exacerbated by the illegal status of the majority of gambling websites.

 

The fuel that feeds these sites is live sports data, and in this presentation, I will show how I used computer-assisted OSINT techniques in my latest cross-border investigation. By tracking flows of data around the globe, we not only mapped out the scale of the European football betting market but also showed that the companies producing and selling this live data are the same ones entrusted by sports to protect them from match-fixers.

Lunch Break

APT Catfishing

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Presenter: Emerald Sage

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In 2017 a London-based photographer named Mia Ash used LinkedIn to contact multiple male employees of a Middle Eastern company. She stated this contact was part of an exercise to reach out to people around the world. Over the next few days, Mia and these individuals exchanged messages about their professions, photography, and travels. Mia encouraged these employees to add her as a friend on Facebook and continue their conversation there. Over time, trust was established, and Mia eventually convinced one of these employees to open a Microsoft Excel attachment on his work laptop. The attachment promptly launched a malicious macro and attempted to install malware. 

Security researchers working with the Middle Eastern company assessed Mia Ash as a fake persona deployed by Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors known as COBALT GYPSY – a group associated with Iranian government-directed cyber operations. The Mia Ash online persona was unique in its sophistication; however, catfishing unsuspecting individuals to exploit their privileged access is not unique. This Tactic, Technique and Procedure (TTP) has been used by several APT actors since at least 2016. 
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In our talk we will demonstrate how Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) tools and techniques can reconstruct the APT actor playbook for engineering and executing catfishing facilitated attacks. We will analyse their methodologies and TTPs, and demonstrate how you can apply this knowledge to identifying possible APT catfishing profiles operating within your social media environment.

Use of OSINT to source and analyse procurement data to inform on global issues - Examining the PCR Purchasing Report Wuhan China

Presenter: David Dennison - Internet 2.0

Geojournalism: How to Use Satellite Imagery to Verify Information and Uncover New Investigations

Presenter: Ben Strick
 

This presentation takes journalists and analysts through practical case studies from Russia/Ukraine, South East Asia and Africa to show the basics of satellite imagery, geographical data, and using imagery in storytelling to verify information and make new findings. 

The main fields attendees will learn in this session is: how do image-based investigations look in a story, what data is available and how can we actually use satellite imagery and geospatial information to boost our investigative and research capacity. 

Wrap up

Networking Drinks