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Sock puppet accounts are mainly known to those outside the information security field as accounts used for disinformation purposes, such as swaying your opinion about a topic or a product. However, this is not the only way to use a sock puppet account. In Hg’s Summer FactSheet, up-and-coming cybersecurity researcher Dakota State University Junior, Mariel Klosterman, describes how sock puppets are used by malicious actors and OSINT investigators, types of sock puppet accounts, and how to create a sock puppet for information collection. -
While billions of people are under stay-at-home and work from home orders, predators are taking advantage of people’s fears, anxiety, and losses at mind-numbing proportions. Children, who are now spending more time online for schooling, are targets for exploitation by pedophiles. Seniors are vulnerable from financial scams, and businesses are vulnerable from hacking, phishing, and cybercrimes. We are committed to serve the public by providing information on the latest scams, exploitation, and fraudulent activities as we are all in this together. -
Securing Your Profile in Facebook
Are you certain your profile is secure with Facebook? Facebook makes it challenging to keep up with your privacy controls. The privacy policies change often and there is extensive information published regarding the settings. In this issue learn the tools to protect yourself. -
Protecting Your Image Online
"Have you Googled yourself lately?" Not a bad line to throw out at happy hour, because it is sure to bring a few chuckles. However, this is a very serious statement to make not only to investigators, police officers and prosecutors - but anyone else concerned about personal security. -
Deciphering Large Company Ownership
Large companies become complicated quickly. The corporate tree is just that, a top-down view of companies and ownership. The corporate tree provides a clear understanding about the ultimate parent company. Publicly traded companies will have their corporate structures written in their annual reports. Even so, that information is not easily discerned. -
Inside Secrets of Media Research - Part 1
With 24 hour news, press releases, videos, interviews, Web releases, and company announcements, almost everyone seems to get his or her chance at 15 minutes of fame, and that translates into hours of saved research time. Researching news in databases, through paper indexes, or by instant alerts, is a skill that is different fro traditional investigations. Many investigators do not delve deep enough into the news for relevant stories or potential connections; yet the news is exactly where to find many leads. -
The Many Faces of Fraud
When it comes to fraud, investigators and law enforcement professionals know that there are more than Ponzi schemes and money laundering. -
BRB Publications.com Free Public Record Resources
As investigators, we are now enjoying the many years of development and slow progression as counties and states continue to add new databases. Investigators are wise to keep an eye for these latest releases. For the most part, these are free and valid resources that make our job easier. Visit BRBPublications.com to find the link to Free Public Record Searches - updated links outlining all the the public records you can imagine within the United States. -
Risk Assessments Online
Have you performed a Google search on your name lately? consider this common scenario, one day a business executive decides to Google her name only to discover her home address and the names of her children all listed online in plain sight along with online offers to purchase more information about her current whereabouts and social status. The discovery is alarming and in some cases, downright dangerous, especially if the person is an individual with a high net worth, or an executive suite employee, or has a security clearance, or is in law enforcement, or is a private detective, or simply concerned about his or her privacy. -
Social Network Searching Summer Update
There are always new Web sites to visit and use for our investigative work. In this article, we focus on social network investigations and the latest sites - or updates to those you are already familiar with. -
Counterterrorism and Social Media
As an Internet investigator, the following are tools, resources, and tips I would recommend to anyone in this field, once an event has occurred and social media is available. Most importantly, the article will conclude with some shared open source services that will help to identify potentially risky behavior and negative content before an event occurs. -
Across the Ocean - Business Due Diligence in the Republic of China
How does the well-informed investigator determine if a company located in the Republic of China is reputable and free from encumbrances? In this article you will be given a systematic account of the due diligence steps necessary to answer the above question. This article examines the steps, thought processes, and online resources necessary to achieve success with business due diligence in China. The objective of our investigation is to minimize monetary and reputational risks involved with a foreign business.
