Military intelligence using OSINT methods

As practice shows, modern armed conflicts require new approaches to organizing the collection and analysis of open data, which we operate within the framework of OSINT. In this article, we will look at various tools that can be used in the context of frontline reconnaissance and the collection of information about what is happening in the war zone from open sources.

DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a guide to misconduct or educational material for covering up wrongdoing.

To begin with, let’s define the very concept of front-line intelligence. Its main goals are to obtain information about the deployment and movements of enemy formations, their weapons and equipment, personnel, combat missions and held settlements. And in the conditions of modern conflicts, a significant part of this information can be obtained by organizing constant monitoring of the Internet.

So, let’s figure out what categories of data will fall into our conditional monitoring center.

Video streams from open surveillance cameras

You can set up the collection of data on open cameras with reference to the area using the Kamerka program. It is a handy tool for geolocation, data collection and surveillance using Internet-connected ICS and IoT devices. In essence, it allows you to determine the location of vulnerable or open security cameras around the world.

After entering the coordinates of the location of interest to the user, the script displays a list of devices and creates an appropriate map. Found cameras are presented as icons, which, when clicked, open the device’s IP address.

Links to all kinds of cameras can be found on the following web resources: GEOCAM, Airport Webcams, EarthCam, YouWebCams, WorldCam[eu], WorldCam[ru] and TVway.

Posts, videos and photos from social networks with reference to the location

Most social networks provide the ability to search for content by location. For example, to avoid using external Twitter search services such as One Million Tweet Map, BirdHunt or TwiMap, you can simply enter the geocode:13.08,80.27,100km format command to get a contact from given coordinates within a radius of 100 kilometers.

VKontakte allows you to do the same by searching for news at the address. In the settings there you can choose the location of the content. For Instagram, you can use the regular search or third-party solutions such as Instmap. Facebook also has a separate search engine called Who Posted What.

To make the task easier and not to get into each social network separately, I suggest using several services that combine the search for content by geolocation in several social networks. Among them are: Skylens, Geocreepy and Social Geo Lens. As open source solutions, I will offer geOSINT, which has the same functionality. In the form of a Telegram bot, of course, it is most convenient to use UniversalSearchRobot.

Telegram user movements

This messenger has become a conditional standard for confidential communication and data exchange. And this, in turn, means that it is pre-installed on most military smartphones. Consequently, Telegram becomes an invaluable source of information on movements in the areas of combat clashes and in key population centers.

If the military did not hide the possibility of obtaining their geolocation data from outside, then we can collect them using the following open source solutions: Geogramint, Telegram Trilateration or Telegram Nearby Map. All of them offer the functionality we are interested in.

News feed

In modern conditions, online news resources are also becoming a source of valuable information regarding what is happening at the front. Despite the fact that they often publish false information — whether from unverified sources, in the pursuit of sensationalism, or even in order to disinform the enemy, monitoring media publications can provide a lot of useful data for further analysis and verification using other OSINTs available to us. -tools.

To form an RSS feed, I suggest using the standard Google Alerts service, and to read it, use the StartMe or Feed Reader services. What is described in the article can also be applied to collect information from the media in the context of the topic of interest to us here.

Satellite images

Among other things, when planning and preparing military operations, it is appropriate to use services to improve the accuracy of satellite images. These include: maps from Flickr, OpenStreetMap Gadget Leaflet, elementary maps from Yandex and Google, SentinelHub and Zoom Earth. The latter, by the way, can also provide current climate and weather data.

Thus, the tools that are in the public domain can become an indispensable tool for front-line intelligence, both for the military themselves and for OSINT researchers interested in the topic.

Igor S. Bederov