Investigator515

Wireshark is an essential tool for those in the info & cyber security field. If you’re looking to analyse network traffic or conduct electronic counter surveillance then you’ll need to build a box of electronic tools that you can turn to and use to achieve these goals. Today, we’ll be looking at one of the tools we can use for network and packet analysis. It’s not the only tool for this job, but it is one of our favorites. It’s time to check out WireShark! Note: While Wireshark is an open source tool available for anyone to download, it’s important to understand that in many places how we use this tool will define it’s legality. Whilst it’s usually perfectly legal to intercept and assess traffic and data within your own network, using it to intercept traffic that doesn’t belong to you, or using information from third party traffic you aren’t legally allowed to intercept turns this in to a Black Hat scenario. Don’t be “that guy”. There’s plenty of PCAPS available to experiment...

The infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed the power of data-driven sock puppetry. There is no disputing that social media has become an integral part of our lives, help to shape public discourse and influencing opinions. However within the depths of these platforms, things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes some of the most vocal voices on particular issues may not be within country or in many cases may not even be human! In this blog post, we’ll look into the world of sock puppetry, exploring its motivations, techniques, then touch on some real-life examples, and the consequences it poses to our digital landscape. We’ll also discuss detection methods and offer some tips to protect ourselves from falling prey to sock puppet accounts. What is the Motivation: While an individual or organisations motivation is best analysed on a case by case basis, generally speaking sock puppet accounts serve as tools for manipulation and deception, employed by various individuals and or...

We're now published!!!!! 2 Live, 2 to go We missed the Wednesday blog cycle this week, for one very important reason. We've just finished our first round of publishing!!! We figured that its never great missing a post during the cycle, but missing it because you're compiling things to be published is mostly acceptable right??? Hold on, cause we're about to fill you in on exactly whats happening for us over the next few months. Firstly, after a short and brief love affair with google and blogspot, the investigator515 blog is now moving to a now home. Originally found at investigator515.blogspot.com, while we configured the site and domain for catfisher.info the new subdomain will be going live this week. We've attatched it to the catfisher.info site to keep everything streamlined, however we will leave most other things unchanged. There'll still be two publications a week, one on Wed and one on Sun, and we'll still rotate through OSINT anaylsis', curren...

Online dating has become a popular way to meet new people, but it also comes with its own set of risks. One of those risks is the potential for metadata to reveal information about your location and habits. In this article, we'll take a closer look at metadata and the other risks associated with online dating apps. First, let's define metadata. Metadata is data that is embedded in a digital file, such as a photo, that provides information about the file and the device used to create it. This metadata can include information such as the date and time the photo was taken, the location it was taken, and the device's unique ID. When you share a photo on a dating app, this metadata can also be shared, potentially revealing information about your location and habits. Location sharing is another potential risk associated with online dating apps. Many dating apps, such as Tinder, allow users to share their location with potential matches. While this can be a convenient feature f...

We all know that social media companies track our activity on their platforms, such as the posts we make and the people we interact with. But did you know that they also track your browsing activity outside of the platform, gather location data from your device, and collect information on your contacts and connections? In this article, we'll take a closer look at the data that social media companies collect on their users, and what they do with it. First, let's talk about what social media companies know about your activity on their platforms. They track and store data on the posts you make, the people you interact with, and the pages you visit. This data is used to target ads and recommend content to you. For example, if you've been browsing a lot of posts about hiking, you may start seeing ads for outdoor gear. But social media companies don't just track your activity on their platforms - they also track your browsing activity outside of the platform. They do this ...

In today's connected world, social media is an integral part of our daily lives. We use it to connect with friends and family, share our thoughts and experiences, and stay informed about what's happening in the world. Business is now a part of it and some of us even hold positions that are linked to social media and PR. However, as we scroll through our feeds and tap on "like" and "share" buttons, we may not be aware of the extent to which our personal information is being collected and shared by these platforms. One of the most simplistic ways in which social media apps collect our personal information is through the permissions we grant them on our mobile devices. Many apps ask for access to our contacts, camera, microphone, and location, among other things. This allows the apps to collect a significant amount of personal data, which can be used for targeted advertising and other purposes. In some cases, users may not even be aware of the extent of data...

The term "hacker" has been around for decades, but its meaning has changed significantly over time. In the early days of computing, a hacker was simply someone who was passionate about technology and loved to tinker with computers and software. These individuals were often self-taught and would spend countless hours exploring the inner workings of technology and discovering new ways to use it. But as the world became more connected through the internet, and computers became a critical part of our daily lives, the meaning of the word "hacker" began to change. It started to take on a more sinister connotation, as individuals began using their knowledge and skills to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and steal sensitive information. Nowadays, there are three main types of hackers: white hat, gray hat, and black hat. White hat hackers are the "good guys" of the hacking world. They use their skills to help organizations and individuals identify an...

So I've officially been breached. What happens next??? Note: While we are going to discuss real hacks, please understand we will do so in an indirect way, without compromising any leaked information. If you're like many Australians, you may have received notification over the past year that you've been involved in some form of data breach or cyber attack. If you have a limited understanding of how this stuff works, it can be intimidating to be in this situation. It's your information in someone else's hands without a clear understanding of what's happening to it or where it's going. While every attack, breach, and compromise scenario is unique, today we will try to cover some of the common scenarios after a breach, and how you can best manage them for yourself. Firstly, it's important to wait for validation of the breach from credible sources. Note that we said credible, not official. You'll usually be able to find this out by being directly ...

Have you ever heard of the dark web? Of course you have! Still, it's a mysterious and largely uncharted part of the internet that can only be accessed using specialized software like the TOR network. While some people use the dark web for legitimate purposes, it's also a hotbed of cybercriminal activity. One thing you'll find being traded on the dark web is stolen data. This is often data that has been obtained through data breaches, which are attacks that involve the theft of sensitive personal and financial information. These breaches can happen through unsecured databases, insecure communication protocols, or malicious insiders. Stolen data is typically sold on underground marketplaces that are only accessible through the use of TOR and other anonymity tools. These marketplaces often have complex security protocols in place to avoid detection by law enforcement and security researchers. In addition to underground marketplaces, stolen data is also often shared on pa...

 The Dangers of Reusing Passwords: An Entirely Hypothetical Scenario. Imagine that you're a hacker looking to gain access to someone's online accounts. You've come across a list of passwords that were recently leaked in a data breach, and you notice that one of the passwords is one that you've seen before - it's a password that you've used on a few of your own accounts and its also linked to a target of yours. You decide to try using this password to see if it works on any other accounts. You start by searching for the person's email address online, and you quickly find their social media profiles. You try logging into their social media accounts using the password from the data breach, and to your surprise, it works. Now that you have access to their social media accounts, you start digging deeper. You look through their posts and profile information to see what you can learn about them. You notice that they've posted about their recent vacation to Hawa...

Password Management for Beginners: Why Reusing Passwords is a Major Security Risk If you're like most people, you probably have a lot of online accounts - from social media to online shopping to banking. Keeping track of all of these accounts and their corresponding passwords can be a hassle, so it's tempting to use the same password for multiple accounts. But this is a major security risk. If one of your accounts is compromised, the attacker can then try using that same password to gain access to your other accounts. One way that hackers can gain access to your passwords is through data breaches. These are instances where a company's database is hacked and sensitive information, including user passwords, is stolen. Once the hacker has access to this information, they can try using the stolen passwords to gain access to other accounts that use the same password. One way to protect against password reuse and data breaches is to use a password manager, which stores all of you...

Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the process of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information that is publicly available and legally obtainable. It is a powerful tool for research, investigations, decision making, and intelligence gathering, as it allows individuals and organizations to gather and analyze a wide range of publicly available information in a cost-effective and legally obtainable manner. There are many different sources of open source intelligence, including online news articles, social media, government websites, and public records. To effectively gather and analyze OSINT, it is important to have a systematic approach and to ensure you use a variety of tools and techniques. This will include using search engines, social media platforms, and specialized OSINT tools such as Maltego, Recon-ng and Shodan. It is also important to verify and validate the information you gather through OSINT, using multiple sources and considering any potential biases, agendas and bei...

Virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy services are two common tools that can be used to protect your online activity and enhance your online privacy. In this post, we'll take a closer look at how these services work and the benefits they offer, with a focus on the benefits of using a VPN. What is a VPN? A VPN is a service that encrypts your internet connection and routes it through a server in a different location. This has several benefits, including: Hiding your IP address: Your IP address is a unique identifier that can be used to track your online activity. By connecting to a VPN, you can mask your IP address and make it more difficult for others to track your online activity. Bypassing censorship: Some countries and organizations block certain websites or content. By using a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and access blocked content. Enhancing security: Encrypting your internet connection can help protect your data from being intercepted by hackers or other maliciou...

  Welcome to The Investigator515 blog! As a seasoned investigator with over 17 years of experience working for corporate and government clients, I'm excited to bring my knowledge and expertise to this blog. We're here to help give people what they need to assist them in staying safe and informed online. Here at Investigator515, we're passionate about sharing valuable insights and resources related to open source intelligence techniques, (OSINT), investigative techniques for managing and processing data, cybersecurity for beginners and online safety. Whether you're a journalist, law enforcement officer, osint nerd or simply someone looking to stay safe online, we believe that everyone can benefit from the information and tools we'll be sharing on this blog. We'll cover a wide range of topics, from the basics of OSINT and data analysis to advanced techniques for protecting your online privacy and staying safe from cyber threats. We hope you'll join us on this ...