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Cyber Investigations Vancouver BC

OPEN SOURCE (OSINT) & CYBER INVESTIGATIONS

OPEN SOURCE & CYBER INVESTIGATIONS, VANCOUVER, SURREY & BC

Open Source Cyber Investigations Vancouver BC

An Open Source, Cyber Investigation is typically conducted from an Investigator’s desk and generally not in the field or out of the office.  This type of investigation has evolved over the past many years, so much so, that many investigations are conducted solely from a computer. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and alike have helped shape the investigative process.

 

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is defined as: the collection and analysis of information that is gathered from public, or open, sources. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforcement, and business intelligence functions and is of value to analysts who use non-sensitive intelligence in answering classified, unclassified, or proprietary intelligence requirements across the previous intelligence disciplines.

The Cyber Investigation 

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The term Cyber has become the accepted and understood term for everything online or internet related. 

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A Cyber Investigation a few years back would have been simply called a Background Investigation or even Due Diligence.

 

More and more information is stored, compiled and desseminated online today than ever before in human history. These investigations will focus largely on obtaining meaningful information on identifiable people and companies.

 

The scope generally is determined by what is available online and what can be accessed legally and lawfully. Budgets for these investigations can vary as some clients have replaced the background investigation with a cyber investigation. 

 

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Open Source Private Investigator

OSINT sources can be divided up into 6 different categories of information flow:

  • Media:, print newspapers, magazines, radio, and television from across and between countries.

  • Internet, online publications, blogs, discussion groups, citizen media (i.e. – cell phone videos, and user created content), YouTube, and other social media websites (i.e. – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.). This source also outpaces a variety of other sources due to its timeliness and ease of access.

  • Public Government Data, public government reports, budgets, hearings, telephone directories, press conferences, websites, and speeches. Although this source comes from an official source they are publicly accessible and may be used openly and freely.

  • Professional and Academic Publications, information acquired from journals, conferences, symposia, academic papers, dissertations, and theses.

  • Commercial Data, commercial imagery, financial and industrial assessments, and databases.

  • Grey literature, technical reports, preprints, patents, working papers, business documents, unpublished works, and newsletter

 

OSINT is distinguished from research in that it applies the process of investigative intelligence, tailored for a specific client need and requirements, pertaining to both individuals and groups.  

Cyber or Due Dilligence Investigator

  • Confirm Identifiable pictures of a subject

  • Address confirmation

  • Additional phone numbers

  • Maps of the area and street views

  • Vehicle information

  • Details pertaining to other friends and family

  • Social activities and clubs

  • Business activities

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  • Additional employment information

  • Previous employment information

  • Timeline of events over the past days, months and sometimes years

  • Hobbies and recreational activities

  • Civil court history

  • Criminal court history

  • News articles & media spots

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