Artificial Intelligence in OSINT: How to Improve Investigations in 2024

18 November 2024 8 minutes Author: Cyber Witcher

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a revolutionary tool in the field of OSINT (Open Source Intelligence). Open data investigations are greatly accelerated by AI, which allows for the automation of routine tasks, the analysis of large amounts of information and the increase of accuracy of results. In 2024, AI tools are changing the way data is collected and processed. Using predictive analytics, natural language processing (NLP), and pattern recognition, OSINT professionals can more effectively identify suspicious individuals, detect anomalies, and find hidden connections between objects of investigation.

What is it anyway?

Artificial intelligence in the field of OSINT can be considered as a modern tool for collecting and analyzing intelligence data, which significantly expands the capabilities of researchers. AI technologies can enhance investigations at various stages and under various circumstances, including:

  • Identification of key objects: People, places, organizations or other important elements in large masses of information. This allows you to quickly find important details that can become the basis for an investigation.

  • Anomaly detection in media and texts: Artificial intelligence helps identify suspicious elements in images or textual data. For example, it can detect whether a photo was created or altered using generative AI technologies. AI is also used to improve the quality of images, detailing blurry parts or zooming for more accurate analysis.

  • Automatic data monitoring: Tools built on the basis of artificial intelligence are able to monitor selected sources of information 24/7, discover new data and send alerts in real time, which significantly reduces the burden on analysts.

  • Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI can analyze text data to detect emotional context, keywords or hidden signals. This technology is actively used to automate translation, text analysis, chatbots, and even recognize trends in large volumes of text information.

Integrating AI into OSINT provides deeper data analysis, speeds up investigative processes, and allows working with vast amounts of information with minimal human intervention. This allows investigators to focus on making strategic decisions, leaving the technical tasks to intelligent algorithms.

How do OSINT and artificial intelligence interact?

Artificial intelligence and OSINT (open source intelligence gathering) complement each other perfectly. OSINT involves the processing of large volumes of publicly available data, which can be quite a time-consuming process. AI tools such as scrapers and web crawlers help automate this process, allowing analysts to focus on deep data analysis or HUMINT related tasks.

When is AI most effective for OSINT?

Artificial intelligence is ideal for OSINT in cases where the investigative process needs to be accelerated and optimized. It is advisable to use it at the following stages:

  • Automate routine tasks: AI processes large amounts of data much faster and more efficiently than manual labor, allowing you to focus on key aspects of the investigation.

  • Information gathering: AI algorithms can automate the collection of large amounts of data from numerous sources, including social networks, news platforms, archives and public databases.

  • Predictive analytics: Use AI to identify patterns and generate predictions based on them, which can be critical for risk assessment.

  • Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP-based tools are capable of analyzing textual data, extracting key ideas, phrases, or themes from large volumes of information.

  • Pattern detection: AI can identify patterns and trends that are difficult to spot manually. For example, analyzing social media behavior can help identify potential threats.

  • Media content analysis: Artificial intelligence processes images and videos to extract important details, such as identifying individuals or interpreting non-verbal information. Face recognition and lip-reading technologies significantly improve the quality of investigations that work with visual data.

Thus, the use of artificial intelligence in OSINT allows to significantly increase the effectiveness of investigations and reduce time spent on routine work.

What can artificial intelligence recognize?

During OSINT investigations, media inspection using artificial intelligence helps to detect the following aspects:

Analysis of video and audio files for deep fakes: AI is able to recognize subtle signs of manipulation, such as abnormal facial movements, discrepancies between image and sound or specific pixel patterns.

  • Identifying geographic landmarks and environments: AI can identify terrain, landscape, or other features in images or videos. This is useful for approximating the location of content creation, for example in military intelligence to monitor infrastructure changes or equipment movements.

  • Transcription of audio files and content analysis: AI tools can automatically decipher audio, highlighting keywords, phrases or analyzing the tone of speech.

  • Crowd estimation: AI can determine the size, density, and even demographic characteristics of groups of people in photos or videos. This allows you to create maps of the concentration of people, which is useful for evaluating crowd behavior or ensuring security at mass events.

  • Search for similar images: Artificial intelligence tools help find identical or similar images on the web to trace their original source or monitor content distribution.

The use of AI in the analysis of media files significantly increases the accuracy of investigations and enables the detection of details that cannot be identified manually.

Which AI tool is best for OSINT?

It all depends on your specific tasks. There are many useful tools that can significantly improve OSINT investigations. Here are some AI solutions that may be useful for your needs:

Palantir Foundry

  • Best choice for: Data integration in large organizations, corporate intelligence, national security protection.

  • Features: Generate insights by analyzing data from multiple sources.

  • Capabilities: Predictive analytics, detection of patterns and objects in complex data sets.

Ovis 1.6 Gemma 2-9B

  • Best choice for: Geolocation, terrain and visual data analysis.

  • Features: Recognition of objects in photos and videos.

  • Features: Efficient processing of media files from large data sets.

CarNet.AI

  • Best choice for: Identification of car models.

  • Features: Determines the brand, model, generation, color of cars with 97% accuracy.

  • Features: Improved image quality for more detailed analysis.

Face Match

  • Best choice for: Face recognition, photo similarity analysis.

  • Features: Determines age, gender and creates a comparison with official documents.

  • Capabilities: Using deep neural networks for accurate identification.

Read Their Lips

  • Best choice for: Interpreting words from videos.

  • Features: Recognize words by lip movements on videos with low sound or no sound.

  • Capabilities: Machine learning algorithms for non-verbal data analysis.

AI Image Enlarger

  • The best choice for: Improving photo quality.

  • Features: Enlarge images by 2, 4 or 8 times without losing quality.

  • Opportunities: Detail preservation thanks to pixel projection.

Dataminr

  • Best choice for: Real data monitoring, social network analysis.

  • Features: Real-time threat alerts.

  • Capabilities: Prediction of cyber attacks through analysis of large volumes of data.

ESPY

  • Best choice for: Tracking activity in the digital environment.

  • Features: Keyword analysis and creation of real alerts.

  • Features: NLP algorithms for text and mood analysis.

Skopenow

  • Best choice for: Social networks and identity verification.

  • Features: Extracts data from social networks, creates detailed profiles.

  • Features: Automates the process of creating profiles for investigations.

ChatGPT

  • Best choice for: Word processing, keyword generation, preparation for HUMINT investigations.

  • Features: Providing context, keyword generation, and research optimization.

  • Features: A tool for processing textual data and preparing for interactive research.

These tools enable investigators to use artificial intelligence to efficiently collect, analyze and interpret data, increasing the productivity of OSINT investigations.

Using ChatGPT in OSINT

ChatGPT can be integrated as one of the useful tools for OSINT, helping to process the data and collect the required information. Here are some ways to use this tool in open source data analysis:

  • Providing background information: ChatGPT may provide context regarding specific topics, persons, locations or events. This makes it easier to work with large amounts of information, suggesting directions for further research. However, it is important to check the information manually to avoid possible inaccuracies.

  • Keyword and Hashtag Generation: The tool can generate lists of relevant keywords, terms or hashtags to find content related to the researched topic. This is particularly effective for social network analysis (SOCMINT).

  • Optimizing HUMINT research: ChatGPT helps prepare texts or background information that can be used to communicate with people, providing a more effective approach to engagement.

Integrating ChatGPT into OSINT greatly simplifies data preparation and processing, complementing other AI tools.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence and OSINT can really make a big difference in cyber security. Artificial intelligence can quickly detect early signs of cyber threats, such as credential leaks, vulnerabilities, or activity in cybercriminal communities. This allows you to prevent attacks before they start. AI tools for OSINT accelerate cyber incident investigations by analyzing threat data, identifying attack targets and helping experts focus on key areas. Although artificial intelligence cannot completely replace the human factor in cyber security, its algorithms make it much easier to monitor and respond to threats.

The information was taken from the open sources of Molfar

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