In the third episode of season 2 of the ShadowDragon podcast, CEO dclemens and Director of Intelligence and Innovation Collection (aka Dutch OSINT Guy) NicoDekens sat down for a one-on-one conversation on the latest news in and outside the open source intelligence (OSINT) world.
While their intel perspectives on the news are fascinating, the discussions between the headlines make this episode even more compelling.
Key Themes from Season 2, Episode 3
Without a plan in place, a targeted influence campaign will quickly topple a company. Spreading messages, true or false, to one or two key influencers can take a company down in a short amount of time. Silicon Valley Bank, for instance, had inadequate plans in place and took the fall, while other targeted banks had established appropriate measures to prevent or minimize the damage. Incorporating investigation and monitoring tools in your strategy could protect your company and brand from attacks by competitors, disruptors or shadowy operators.
Protests barely move the needle. As OSINT investigators we track trends and impact from social media, and from what we’ve seen, protesting is not as effective as one may think. Oftentimes, both positions flood the public with opinions to the point where they no longer hold any meaning. Consider redirecting your energy in actions that will have a more direct impact on your well-being.
Stabbings and lone wolf attacks continue to rise. More incidents involving stabbings and lone wolf attacks have occurred since we last discussed this rising trend:
- A U.S. defense employee was stabbed in the United Kingdom near her GCHQ office.
- Intel agencies recently issued alerts for increased risk to Vienna prayer houses from Islamic State jihadis.
- Brussels metro stations are on high alert, as the U.S. embassy recently warned of a stabbing threat.
- Not discussed in this podcast episode, but be sure to check out this ShadowDragon blog on the December 2022 arrest of Bryan Kohberger for the quadruple murders of four University of Idaho students
The founder of BreachForums has been arrested. Basic operational security (OPSEC) mistakes led to the arrest of Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, the 20-year-old founder and Sandyistrator of the now-defunct BreachForums. While the suspect has been labeled the “kingpin” of the hacker info sharing site, his profile does not appear to fit the old-school, hardcore criminal type. The site may have been taken down, but the forum is bound to re-emerge elsewhere unless law enforcement has a replacement in place.
Donald Trump announced his pending arrest. Most social media responses are from the left, but the realistic deepfake photos have had limited effectiveness. Some of these messages have been so extreme that there is an indication they may be generated by bots. We also found that the right is not responding or mobilizing the way they did with the January 6th events.
You can find all the ways to watch and listen to this ShadowDragon podcast here. Stay tuned for more thought-provoking episodes and conversations with experts from within the OSINT world!
