Spotlight | Europe, Israel, United States
Meta threat report puts OSINT specialists under the spotlight

Romania, United States
United States concerned about Russia's possible Facebook operations in Romanian election

The US embassy in Bucharest has approached authors of a freshly published memo detailing a major campaign conducted via Facebook to promote Romania's far-right party and the pro-Russian presidential candidate.

France, United States
Avatars still used for online infiltrations despite growing pressure

Despite social media platforms' concerted effort to combat fake profiles, avatars have new techniques to draw on to remain of use.

The Tech Times
Cobwebs/Spire Capital, Kleos Space, AFRL's ISR sensor, Resecurity in Dubai, Wide Int

From SIGINT to GEOINT and OSINT and a dose of cyber, each week we report on events both big and small that matter in the community of technical intelligence providers.

Herzliya/New York Now part of Spire Capital, Cobwebs looks to US market

Luxembourg Kleos loses head of innovation

Rome/New York AFRL updates ISR sensors for Skyborg drones

Dubai US threat intel firm Resecurity uses SAT seller to set up home

Paris Deveryware successor Wide Int sorts out its new line-up

France
French interior ministry's grand Cyber III programme invests heavily in open source

The multiple tender call for the third phase of the French interior ministry's grand Cyber III investment programme has finally opted for greater spending on open source intelligence (OSINT).

India, Israel
Israeli OSINT firm Cyberglobes prospects in India

Israel's Cyberglobes, a particularly active exporter of open source intelligence solutions despite its ban from Facebook and other US platforms, has recently been prospecting in India.

Israel
Cognyte and Omaha police and firefighters' pension fund fall foul of Meta's crusade

A new episode in the tumult shaking the virtual human intelligence sector has been playing out in a New York courtroom this month. The city of Omaha police and firefighters pension fund has accused Cognyte of failing to reveal its activities in the sector, which it says are behind the company's poor stock exchange performance.

Europe
Commercial cyber bosses Ralf Wegener and Ramanan Jayaraman operate Singapore-based Nanostrea

Still under the radar despite the exposure of its sister company Variston by Google's Threat Intelligence Group (TAG), Nanostrea is part of a group of cyber companies operated by the discreet business partners Ralf Wegener and Ramanan Jayaraman.

UAE, United States
Social Links, new ally of OSINT specialist Sicuro Group

The open source intelligence specialist has turned to the Emirati consultancy and security provider to help with its participation in the ISS World gathering in Dubai by entrusting its founder with presenting several case studies.

Spotlight | Israel, United States
OSINT experts hold their breath as Bright Data-Meta lawsuit plays out

In its latest battle against open source intelligence firms harvesting data from its platforms, US social networking giant Meta has filed a number of lawsuits that could have a significant effect on how OSINT operates.

Indonesia, Russia
Russian OSINT firm Lavina Pulse pursues Southeast Asian conquest

Spearheading Moscow's diplomatic and business push into Southeast Asia, Lavina Pulse, headed by former intelligence officer Andrei Masalovich, is prospecting in Indonesia.

Israel
Israeli OSINT specialist Labyrinth closes despite support of former intelligence chiefs

Founded in 2018 by Israeli former military intelligence officers, the open source intelligence firm Labyrinth had heavyweight advisers on board in Tamir Pardo, Amos Yadlin and Roni Alsheich, but that didn't prevent its recent demise.

Israel, Ukraine
Israel's Cyberglobes is SBU's new OSINT supplier

Israeli open source intelligence firm Cyberglobes has scooped up a contract, previously held by Rayzone and Ultra, to supply Ukraine's internal intelligence service, the SBU.

Spotlight | France, Israel, United States
Virtual HUMINT specialists test new avenues for their avatars

Though increasingly sought after by government intelligence services, virtual human intelligence tools have reached a developmental dead-end. Social media sites have been tracking down avatars responsible for online influence campaigns.

Ukraine
Russian-Dutch OSINT firm Social Links suffers collateral damage from Ukraine war

The Russian-founded open source intelligence company Social Links, which is seeking to distance itself from Moscow, is taking flak over its alleged links to Russian intelligence.

Spotlight | Europe, Israel, United States
How OSINT has worked its way among cyber-intelligence experts

Open-source intelligence (OSINT), considered less touchy than cyber-attacking, is less regulated and easier for goverments to showcase. However, the one-upmanship in the sector is making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between passive and active intelligence.

Russia, United States
US sanctions against Positive Technologies highlight risks run by cyber threat intelligence companies

Even though their skills are increasingly needed for state cyber diplomacy, threat intelligence companies like Positive Technologies face a growing threat of exposure to state sanctions.

Court hearings on Facebook moderators lawsuits put Meta on the spot in Nairobi

The social media behemoth, which farmed out the moderation of East African Facebook posts to subcontractors based in Nairobi, has failed to extract itself from legal proceedings brought against two of its subcontractors.