The Intelligence Brief Podcast

OSINT and its Application

On the edge of the intelligence topic, there is a conversation to be had around just how valuable the application of OSINT methods is to security. Join us and our expert guests from the field of intelligence as we look to identify the application of innovative OSINT strategies for the security and defence sector.

The Intelligence Brief Hosts

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Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer

Intel Desk Lead at HENSOLDT Analytics

Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer is an Open-Source Intelligence Analyst and the Intel Desk Lead at HENSOLDT Analytics.

She has a Master of Science (Criminology and Criminal Justice) from the University of Oxford, specialising in counterterrorism, international security, and online radicalisation. Before attending the University of Oxford, she completed a Master’s in Genocide Studies at Uppsala University, specialising in conflict and crisis management.

Anne-Lynn previously worked as an Intelligence Analyst with the LKA Berlin (criminal police), and in the field of terrorism prevention for the LATERAN project at the Psychologische Hochschule Berlin.

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Jennifer Kelly

OSINT Analyst at HENSOLDT Analytics

OSINT analyst at HENSOLDT Analytics, with a Bachelors in Criminology from University College Cork, and a Masters in Violence, Terrorism & Security from Queen’s University Belfast.

Previously analyst and Team Lead of the Illicit Finance & Economic Threats team at The Counterterrorism Group.

The Intelligence Brief - Season 2

Episode 02 - S2

HENSOLDT’s New Mobile App: Combining OSINT and Crowd-Sourced Intelligence

In the second episode of our second season, our host, OSINT Analyst Jennifer Kelly sits down with Head of Software Development Jakob Frohnwieser and Software Developer Mert Demir to explore HENSOLDT Analytics’s new mobile app.

 From detailing the conceptualisation of the app to exploring the app’s crowd-sourced intelligence functionalities, both Frohnwieser and Demir highlight the impact of having a multi-source intelligence app.

For a free demo of the mobile app, please contact our HENSOLDT Analytics Team at info@hensoldt-analytics.com. 

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OSINT podcast mobile app podcast episode

Episode 01 - S2

The Economic Crime Landscape: Asset Recovery and its Challenges

In the first episode of our podcast’s second season, we are looking at how OSINT is incorporated within the world of financial crimes. Our host, Jennifer Kelly, is joined by special guest Maria Nizzero, who sheds light on the UK economic crime landscape.

Maria, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at RUSI, discusses her recent work on asset recovery mechanisms in the UK. She also shares the challenges the UK government faced in the aftermath of recent geopolitical events, how open-source information is utilized when overcoming these challenges, and what the future fight against illicit finance looks like.

Please note, the views expressed in this interview are those of our guest and do not represent the views of RUSI or any other institution the speaker is connected with.

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The Intelligence Brief - Season 1

Bonus Episode

The Terrorism Landscape: Emerging Trends

We are releasing a special episode to wrap up Season 1 of the Intelligence Brief Podcast.

This Bonus Episode is an audio recording of the May 2022 Intelligence Webinar with three renowned experts in the field of terrorism. The HENSOLDT Analytics OSINT Analyst and Intel Desk Lead, Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer, was joined by Amarnath Amarsingam (Assistant Professor at the School of Religion), Colin Clarke (Director of Research at The Soufan Group), and Paul Brown (Senior Digital Journalist at BBC Monitoring) to discuss the latest developments of the Islamic State in Africa, ISIS prisoners in Syria, as well as the future of the ever-evolving terrorism landscape.

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Want to watch the entire webinar? Request the recording. 

Episode 06

Intra-Jihadi Group Dynamics and the Use of OSINT in Academic Research

Tune in for the last episode of the season, where Tore Hamming, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, and Intel Desk Lead, Lynn Dudenhöfer, discuss the black box of intra-Jihadi dynamics and infighting, as well as the use and challenges of OSINT collection methods in academic research.

They will touch upon topics such as Jihadi propaganda tools, the Al-Hol detention camp in Syria, as well as the importance of creating a good system of data collection and the evergreen necessity to understand OSINT as one of many tools in a greater toolbox of intelligence methods.

These are just a few of the topics our experts will discuss.  Tune in now for an insightful conversation around OSINT and its application!

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Read the episode transcript.

Dr. Tore Refslund Hamming holds a PhD in political and social science from the European University Institute. Dr. Hamming is Director of Refslund Analytics and a Senior Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, King’s College London. He has conducted fieldwork in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and Somalia, and has written several papers on al-Qaida and the Islamic State. He is the author of Jihadi Politics: The Global Jihadi Civil War, 2014–2019 (forthcoming Hurst/OUP).

Episode 05

Social Engineering and the Protection of High-Value Targets

In this episode, our Intel Desk Lead and podcast host, Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer, is joined by Christina Lekati, who is a psychologist and a social engineering specialist. They discuss risks posed by social engineering and how to use OSINT for the protection of high-value targets.

Our guest shares different social engineering techniques, which human vulnerabilities are being exploited, and what red flags to look out for. In addition, Christina sheds some light on the value of OSINT in protecting high-value targets from digital and real-life attacks.   

These are just a few of the topics our experts will touch upon – tune in now for more!

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Read the episode transcript.

Christina Lekati is a psychologist and a social engineering specialist. She participates in a variety of projects, where she consults or trains executives, security teams and other levels of employees on social engineering for defensive or offensive security purposes. She is also an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst focusing on protecting high value individuals and on corporate vulnerability assessments.

Episode 04

Elections or Civil War in Libya: The Country’s Current Security Landscape

The general Libyan elections were supposed to be held by the U.N.-promoted deadline of Dec 24, 2021. With the elections postponed, there are rising concerns that electoral security may be at risk of a soft military takeover – or even another civil war. In addition, the lingering of non-state actors on Libyan soil raises the question of how the situation can best be monitored and assessed.

Our host Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer and Jalel Harchaoui, a researcher specializing in Libya, discuss the postponed Libyan election, the fragile Libyan security landscape, and why OSINT and HUMINT are best utilised in combination.

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Jalel Harchaoui is a researcher specializing in Libya. His work covers aspects such as the country’s security landscape and political economy. Jalel holds a Master’s degree in Geopolitics from Paris 8 University. A frequent commentator on Libya in the international press, he has published in Foreign AffairsLawfarePolitique ÉtrangèreForeign Policy, and Small Arms Survey. He is based in Paris.

Episode 03

Telegram Investigations, their Relevance in the Russia-Ukraine War and the Decentralised Web 3.0

OSINT expert Loránd Bodó shares a glimpse into the future of OSINT. Together with Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer, our podcast host and analyst, he discusses the use of social media ecosystems by extremist networksTelegram investigations in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Decentralised Web 3.0

Why has Telegram become – and will most likely remain – a critical source in the Russia-Ukraine war? What can be applied from the blockchain technology in the application of OSINT? What advantages or challenges does the decentralised web hold for future investigations?

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Read the episode transcript

podcast about Telegram use during Russia-Ukraine War

Loránd Bodó is a German multilingual analyst with a strong background in open-source intelligence (OSINT) and researcher of violent extremists, as well as terrorist entities online. Loránd is also the founder of osint-jobs.com, a project whose mission is to help the OSINT community grow their skills and advance their careers.

Episode 02

Anti-vaxxers & Conspiracies: Monitoring the Spread of Covid-19-related Disinformation

BBC Monitoring journalist and disinformation expert Shayan Sardarizadeh and OSINT Analyst Lynn Dudenhöfer discuss some of the ever-evolving disinformation campaigns surrounding Covid-19 and the vaccination mandates. 

What are some of the most exaggerated fake news about vaccines in the online realm? Which platforms are commonly used to spread conspiracy theories? Finally, what potential next battleground could conspiracy theorists choose after the topic of the pandemic has come to an end?

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Read the episode transcript.

Shayan Sardarizadeh is a journalist investigating disinformation, conspiracy theories, cults and extremism for BBC Monitoring and BBC World Service. A journalist for 18 years, Shayan has been with the BBC for nine years and focusing on disinformation since 2018.

Episode 01

Early-Warning Indicators of Armed Conflict and the Recruitment of Children as Soldiers

How can intelligence gathering inform preventative action, and how can actionable intelligence advise security forces, for example in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique? Furthermore, what issues surround the development of early-warning systems?

Anne-Lynn Dudenhöfer and her guest, Dr. Shelly Whitman, Executive Director of the Dallaire Institute, discuss how to develop predictive models and what the early warning indicators of armed conflict are, which can inform preventative action.

Listen on:

Read the episode transcript.

Dr. Shelly Whitman took up the post of Executive Director of The Dallaire Institute Children Peace and Security, formally known as The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, in January 2010. In the eleven years since, she has spearheaded the establishment and growth of the organization. Shelly has been instrumental in creating a number of key, international agreements and policies on the protection of children, including the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers.

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Watch all episodes of The Intelligence Brief Podcast!​

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Access the conversations in webcast format on our Youtube channel below. 

Episode 1

S01E01 | Early-Warning Indicators of Armed Conflict and the Recruitment of Children as Soldiers

Episode 2

S01E02 | Anti-vaxxers & Conspiracies: Monitoring the Spread of Covid-19-related Disinformation

Episode 3

S01E03 | Telegram Investigations, their Role in the Russia-Ukraine War, and the Decentralised Web 3.0

Episode 4

S01E04 | Elections or Civil War in Libya? - The Intelligence Brief Podcast

Episode 5

S01E05 | Social Engineering and the Protection of High-Value Targets - The Intelligence Brief Podcast

Episode 6

S01E06 | Intra-Jihadi Group Dynamics and the Use of OSINT in Academic Research - The Intelligence Brief Podcast

Discover More Intelligence Content

For more Intelligence topics, join in one of our webinars. HENSOLDT Analytics Intelligence Webinars bring together experts and practitioners with a wealth of experience to discuss the latest topics live.

These events are served in a convenient virtual format blending keynotes and discussion panels. Together with our guests, we deconstruct real-life scenarios through the prism of OSINT, providing rich insights as well as fresh perspectives.