The corporate world is well aware of the manifold risks that M&A and other investment deals can pose. This is reflected in the immense growth of the commercial due diligence market, which currently has an astonishing growth rate of 9.5% and is set to hit a volume...
API solutions are indispensable for various intelligence platforms and investigations. The seamless operability that comes with API integration means that all kinds of workflows and processes can be streamlined, collaboration becomes natural and effortless, many routine tasks just vanish, and the productivity of the whole organization soars. Our new article...
In today’s climate, background checks have become a staple of verification, and open-source intelligence has risen to the fore as an indispensable element of this widespread practice. Anyone who’s applied for a job may be aware of basic screening checks. But, in fact, the world of background checks...
To the uninitiated, background checks may appear to be straightforward things. But the truth is they come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the basic checks employers might run off from a CV to profoundly enhanced checks reaching into the recesses of the Dark Web for more serious matters....
Intelligence work is a multifaceted thing. To anyone acquainted with the field, this will be obvious from the many -INT terms that seek to categorize the various sides of the discipline. And this article is all about one of these in particular—HUMINT (Human Intelligence)—and the tools out there...
It’s a pillar of the modern intelligence cycle, taken very seriously by the national security departments of leading global powers, and is entering the mainstream in various ways. But what exactly is OSINT (open-source intelligence) in 2024? The truth is that open-source intelligence encompasses a lot, but don’t...
It’s time for our quarterly OSINT product updates where we bring everyone up to speed on what we’ve added to our functionality over the last few months. And so far, the first quarter of 2024 has been hugely productive, seeing us introduce some major new features connected to...
While it’s hard to deny the utility of open data in investigative work, how to make the most of it is not so obvious. Investigators can’t become seasoned data analysts overnight, and the effort required to process information can even be counterproductive. The place where investigative work meets...
That’s right, this is part 2 of open-source intelligence games (here is the first part if you missed it). But to recap, this two-part guide is all about learning OSINT in an entertaining way. After all, it turns out that many of the skills and techniques that make a...
Big news! Social Links has partnered with a leading provider of breached identity data, Constella Intelligence. To mark the start of this exciting partnership, we—the two companies—are getting together for the co-hosted webinar: Stealer Logs for Investigations: A New Era in OSINT. Join us on April 4, at...
When learning a new technical discipline, a major hurdle often lies in the terminology. Even if the underlying concepts aren’t that difficult to understand, the way they’re expressed can get in the way of comprehension. And OSINT, alas, does have its technical side, which can put off non-technical...
Getting to grips with open-source intelligence is a challenge, we know. With investigators needing to get their heads around so many different sub-disciplines, it’s understandable that the learning curve can be daunting. The good news is that learning can happen in many ways, and getting OSINT practice can be...
The open-source intelligence industry boom has naturally led to a confusing flood of solutions on the market. But choice can be a double-edged sword—while more options mean you have a better chance of finding the OSINT tools that best suit your needs, it also makes the actual process of...
In an era when personal data is pouring into platform upon platform, all employees of an enterprise are ultimately part of a company’s image or brand. If a company executive, for example, makes an unwise post, the consequences can be far-reaching and even lead to a stock value drop-off....
You may not be able to master a discipline like OSINT overnight, but we want to give you the things you need to do this as quickly and effectively as possible. And one of the best things you can do is watch skilled investigators in action. So, we've...
Learning a discipline such as OSINT is not always as straightforward as learning some techniques and discovering new tools. Understanding how and when these things should be employed in a given case is crucial. This is why we publish our use cases—they give the reader a real-world context for...
This week in the Social Links Center of Excellence Column, we’re looking at video game platforms as a great source to enrich OSINT investigations. Given that gaming has exploded in popularity, and with digital distributions becoming the norm (modern computers don’t even have CD drives anymore), platforms like...
When talking about corporate security, many might think only about the digital infrastructure of companies. However, this component—cybersecurity—is only one side of the coin. Beyond online threats, organizations must deal with substantial dangers in the real world. When the potential risks combine with a constantly shifting business environment,...
In this week's Center of Excellence Column, we present a case study about deanonymizing an online suspect who conceals their name. We use IP analysis and OSINT techniques to gather data, illustrating unique methods to reveal the identity of a potential pedophile. So, let’s jump into the...
In an era of digital finance streams and cryptocurrencies, it can be hard to check the financial transparency of a company or individual. With business dealings putting vast sums of money and corporate reputations on the line, OSINT is becoming a go-to resource for due diligence teams who need to...
We actively work with experts in various fields to add value to our articles. This time, the Social Links Center of Excellence team has invited a co-author with vast cybersecurity knowledge to collaborate on an article, CyberDetective. For anyone unfamiliar, CyberDetective has been actively working to spread OSINT know-how and...
