Data2know: Online & Internet Intelligence

by Cynthia_Hetherington at Aon.com

If information anxiety is something you have self diagnosed yourself with, and “overload” is an understatement.  Then avoid anything “wiki” on the web.

In technology “Open Source” means something very different from “Open Source” in intelligence.  For intelligence analysts open source is the information you can readily retrieve such as public records, news print and media, ramblings on blogs.

Whereas open source in technology is the sharing of computer code, for the betterment of that code.  The thought is that the more programmers and challengers who work on the code will improve it overall, and be able to tailor it to their needs.  Linux is open source, Microsoft Windows is not.  Napster is open source, and iTunes is not.

Now information is open source like code was.  Community driven definitions, as you would see in Wikipedia.com is a perfect example. 

An example:

During a lunch conundrum when trying to decide the difference between a
Stromboli and a calzone we checked Wikipedia for a definition.  Turns out that Stromboli is an island off the coast of Italy that currently has an active volcano threatening the population of 500.

We didn’t see anything about a stuffed pizza.  My ultimate question being “is there sauce inside or is it all cheese like a calzone.” 

Wikipedia failed us on this mission.  But brought to light that the idea Stromboli was influenced by several other web surfer contributors.  In other words contribution from un-vetted sources could result in popular opinion results.  Whether the editors of Oxford English Dictionary or your neighbor Bob Oxford, the information is going to appear on the web.

As a librarian, I cringe that individuals, especially unbiased children will retrieve information from such an inauthentic source.  However easy it is to pick on children, adults are equally sublime in their verification of information.  Hence, garbage in garbage out. 

Leave that argument aside for publishers who are losing book sales on such web services, and librarians who are left lonely at the reference desk.

Our point is to let you know that as investigators, you will see information that appears authoritative.  The websites are intelligently laid out, the information appears encyclopedic, and what you are reading may seem reasonable.  However you must check the root of the source you are reading online.  Are they quoting a text book?  Does your information go back to Wikimedia or GNU project?

Wikimedia Foundation by its own definition, “Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That’s our commitment.”

I’ve met a lot of people on the subways of New York, in first class suites at airports, and through various professional lives I’ve traversed.  There is NO WAY I want to wallow in the sum of all knowledge with just anyone.  Call me an information snob, or call me an investigator, but I need to vet out each detail before culling a report together and charging a client for my findings.

Yet Wikimedia Foundation not only gathers these pearls of wisdom and writes them up in Wikipedia, they are retooling, in  open source style, and regenerating the same details in other services.  Hence, a lie, or mistruth, or error, not only shows up in Wikipedia, it appears in other sources like answers.com. 

In closing, it’s the same old song, verify your facts!

Finding New Information from Old Websites 

by Cynthia_Hetherington at Aon.com

Years ago we wrote about Deconstructing Websites for Company Intelligence. It’s hard to believe that was seven years ago. The same tactics and investigative fundamentals still exist. You should always look at all parts of a website, all pages and all links in and out for real intelligence. Who owns it, who pays the bills and the information they are sharing on these pages. Do not forget to look at the legal disclaimers, copyright information as well as the About Us page. Any one of these could reveal a source you didn’t expect.

However if the website you want is no longer active, you should consider looking for older cached (saved) versions of it through the following sources.

The Wayback Machine on archive.org is the best *if* you know the URL of the website. They were running a search engine within Archive.org years ago named Recall, but was shut down when the researcher moved.

That said, here are some other sources.

Google.com (cache server) Run a search on the target’s name, location, phone numbers (without the common markings, run them as numbers divided by spaces within quotes) i.e. “xxx xxx xxxx” This may result in a match on the cached links, click on cached, which will lead you to an imaged version.

Zoominfo.com - known as a human resource (aka Ego Surf) engine, search on the owners/principals of the former company. Or search on company name itself. The links within the found information are cached so you often times find removed information from this service.

Ownership information, albeit old, is resold to a few information aggregators like Accurint and Dialog. Accurint (aka Irbsearch.com) is cheapest and easiest allowing you to search by name, street, domain name, phone number, or possible contact. Dialog’s database divides their services from Whois, to Whowas and has a more limited search capability.

*** SPECIAL ARTICLE ***

Hate your Job?

By Cynthia Hetherington, Cynthia_Hetherington at aon.com 

It is no surprise, that some people are unhappy with their current work situation.  For some it seems like a wonderful start to a long and successful career and before you know it, you are staring at the clock and counting down the days till payday.

These toxic individuals are counter-productive to your workplace environment, and what is more, they are ripe for committing offenses to the company like intellectual property theft or loss, insurance fraud, or embarrassing situations which fallout into reputational nightmares.

Whether you work in a Fortune 500 company as an analyst, or are working your way through college as a waitress, today’s employee is sharing their love and hate relationships openly through blogs and video.

Hello Youtube.com. 

The amatuer video library, youtube.com, was purchased by Google.com.  Wandering through the large amount of mostly silly material and inane content, I wondered how many of my clients had employees who posted material here.  

Sure enough most of my retail clients had employees with tags listed on this service.  Not every video was offensive, but a few were a bit over the top.  One in particular demonstrated the lack of security a company is suffering by video taping a sleeping guard.

Perhaps more useful for investigators is to scan this service for insurance fraud cases. Why bother setting up a surveillance investigation, if you can capture your subject in a mock Shakira video?  Yes, client’s long time disability collector, a former truck driver and the subject of a series of back surgeries, as a result of a slip and fall loading his freezer truck was caught on video tape.  He was dressed in a long blonde wig and funny outfit dancing to “Hips Don’t Lie.” The video wasn’t as a result of expert surveillance, but actually a self video taken by a friend, as a gag to post on his website.  Youtube.com picked it up and they were an overnight success.  

That is until we picked up the video, based on the subjects user handle as a tag.  It made our case quite easy, and has provided more than a few chuckles amongst the investigative staff.

The lesson learned is that when you get a subject’s email address, break off the first half (the portion that starts before the @ symbol) and run it through youtube.com.  If they are posting themselves, or have tags (index words used by XML) associated to them, you should run across the content.

Other places you want to look for this user handle are in technorati.com, icerocket.com and myspace.com.  You should also scan these services for your client names to see if any particularly new and alarming material has surfaced that they may be unaware of.

You never know what will pop up, but with video now joining the web in popularity, it’s sure to be an interesting and often entertaining search.

The New Travel Experience
By Sara Adele Higgins, Sara_Higgins at aon.com

As of Monday August 14, 2006, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lifted its ban on specific carry on items. This still does not include all liquids, gels and lotions. They have listed on their website, http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/new-procedures.shtm, a complete and updated list of what they are allowing travelers to bring with them on their flights. This link gives a complete list of permitted and prohibited items, which is highly recommended reading before you pack you luggage. It is quite an extensive and some what confusing list. Most items, under the circumstances, should be common sense.

Due to the increasing need for this information and updates on the current bans and alerts, the birth of new websites and assistance from already established companies have made their way into the “Travel Help” world.

http://www.smartpacking.com offers up to date information on traveling and new travel alerts.  Here you will find tips on domestic and international travel, including what you can and can not bring with you as well as the latest airport security, airline bag weight and size rules, and critical travel health and safety and security information. For the most frequent flyers, sign up to have alerts emailed directly to you whenever there is a change in the rules by the TSA. 

Medical websites such as http://www.medicine.net give 11 steps for passengers traveling with medicine and medical conditions, making their trip through security as uneventful as possible. Key note here is to make sure all medication is correctly labeled with your correct name on each bottle. 

Some companies will ship your papers or baggage to your destination so that you won’t have to deal with the baggage check at the airports and the constant fear that you luggage will be sent 600 miles in the opposite direction.  UPS (800-PICK-UPS, http://www.ups.com), Federal Express (800-GO-FEDEX, http://www.fedex.com), Universal Express (866-744-7224 or 561-367-6177, http://www.usxp.com), Bags Inc. (407-447-5547, http://www.airportbags.com), Luggage Forward (866-416-7447, http://www.luggageforward.com), Sports Express (800-357-4174, http://www.sportsexpress.com), Skycap International (877-775-9227, http://www.skycapinternational.com) and Luggage Free (800-361-6871, http://www.luggagefree.com) are jumping in to lend the weary traveler a helping hand. Pricing for these services vary. Generally, a charge for pickup and a per pound fee is the standard. (Golf clubs, bikes and skis are an additional charge). Most can be done right on line with no hassle.

Hotels and even Avis Rental are also jumping on the band wagon to help its customers with the everyday necessities one would need when traveling. Gift bags of toothpaste, shampoo, shaving cream, etc. is being given to it customers upon arrival, this is to ensure a stress free experience when using their services.

The TSA has not yet decided when and if all of these bans will be lifted. These security measures, while somewhat inconvenient, are in our best interest. Using some of these services and practical information, we hope our frequent flyers a safe and pleasant flight.