Episodes

  • S03 E08: Hijacked Hashtags and Potential Malware in Short URLs on Social Media

    S03 E08: Hijacked Hashtags and Potential Malware in Short URLs on Social Media
    Aug 17 2024
    Podcast Summary: ShadowDragon - Malware Alert on Social Media In this episode of the ShadowDragon podcast, Nico "Dutch OSINT Guy" Dekens delves into a recent surge in malicious online activity linked to trending topics on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Meta (Facebook), and Instagram. The discussion centers around a disturbing trend observed on August 8th, where malicious actors hijacked popular hashtags, including those related to the UK riots and other global events, by posting deceptive content designed to lure users into clicking dangerous links. These malicious posts often feature images flagged as "sensitive content," which, when clicked, direct users to a series of redirects that ultimately lead to scam sites, frequently with pornographic content. Nico warns listeners about the common characteristics of these posts, which include accounts with English-sounding usernames followed by a series of numbers and profile pictures of Asian-looking women. Nico also highlights how these tactics have been used across various events, from the Paris Olympics to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. The episode emphasizes the importance of caution when engaging with such content online and provides insights into how malware analysis tools, like Any.Run and VirusTotal, can help identify the threats posed by these malicious links. The host concludes by urging listeners to stay vigilant and avoid falling prey to these social media scams. Listeners are encouraged to like, subscribe, and share the ShadowDragon podcast and to reach out to the host, known online as "Dutch OSINT Guy," for more information.
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    5 mins
  • S03 E07: Iranian Tensions Fueled by AI-Generated Content and Unrest in the UK

    S03 E07: Iranian Tensions Fueled by AI-Generated Content and Unrest in the UK
    Aug 12 2024
    Podcast Summary In this episode of the ShadowDragon podcast, Nico Dekens discusses the current geopolitical tensions and disturbances monitored through online platforms. The focus is on the recent actions of Israel against Hamas leaders, which have caused significant unrest and propaganda, particularly from Iran. The podcast highlights the use of AI-generated imagery in influence campaigns and the possibility of escalating conflicts involving rocket attacks and military mobilization in the region. The episode also touches on the unrest in the United Kingdom, sparked by false narratives following a deadly stabbing incident. Nico emphasizes the role of social media in spreading misinformation and the importance of monitoring these platforms to understand the underlying causes and actors involved in these conflicts. Overall, the podcast provides an overview of the global tensions involving Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, as well as the social unrest in the UK related to migrant communities. Nico stresses the significance of early warning and monitoring to stay informed and prepared for potential escalations. Please like, subscribe, and share the podcast to stay updated on these important developments.
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    5 mins
  • S03 E06: ShadowDragon OSINT Geopolitics Podcast - Unveiling Meliorator: Russian AI's Role in Global Disinformation

    S03 E06: ShadowDragon OSINT Geopolitics Podcast - Unveiling Meliorator: Russian AI's Role in Global Disinformation
    Jul 11 2024
    ShadowDragon OSINT Geopolitics and More Podcast Summary Host: Nico Dekens, “The Dutch OSINT Guy” (follow Nico on X: @dutch_osintguy) Episode Focus: Critical cybersecurity advisory on state-sponsored Russian media using advanced software for foreign malign influence activities. Key Points Covered: Introduction: The episode delves into a joint cybersecurity advisory by prominent intelligence and security agencies from the United States, Netherlands, and Canada. Meliorator AI Software: Russian actors are using covert artificial intelligence software called Meliorator to manipulate social media. The software, employed by Russian state-sponsored media RT, creates fake personas to disseminate disinformation on platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter). Capabilities of Meliorator: The software can generate numerous realistic social media profiles, mimicking typical user behavior by posting, liking, and sharing content. It amplifies pre-existing false narratives with sophisticated, tailored messages. Technical Details: Meliorator comprises various components, including Brigadir (administrative panel for managing bots), Taras (back-end software for handling bot identities and actions), and a Mongo database for storing bot identities and automated actions. It avoids detection by using AI-generated profiles, proxy IPs, and alternative user-agent strings to bypass platform verification. Obfuscation Techniques: Meliorator uses IP obfuscation, authentication bypass, and user-agent manipulation to hide bot activities. Advisory Recommendations: Social media platforms, especially X, are urged to validate human operation behind accounts, enhance authentication and verification processes, and monitor suspicious user-agent strings. Implement Secure-by-Default settings, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and other privacy-focused features. Conclusion: Staying vigilant and informed is crucial to protect against disinformation campaigns. Previous podcasts discussed the abuse of commercially or freely available AI for spreading false narratives, but Meliorator represents a more advanced threat. Closing Remarks: - Nico encourages listeners to stay safe and informed. - Listeners are invited to suggest topics for future episodes. Thank you for tuning in to the ShadowDragon OSINT Geopolitics and More Podcast. See you in the next episode! Show Notes: State-Sponsored Russian Media Leverages Meliorator Software for Foreign Malign Influence Activity, found here: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/News/2024/240709.pdf Follow ShadowDragon on social media for more up-to-date news and information
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    5 mins
  • S03 E05: OpenAI Disrupts Covert Influence Operations With The Help of OSINT

    S03 E05: OpenAI Disrupts Covert Influence Operations With The Help of OSINT
    Jul 9 2024
    Key Points Discussed: • Monitoring and Disruption Efforts: OpenAI collaborates with open-source intelligence practitioners to monitor internet activity and identify potential misuse of their language models by nation-states and other actors. They aim to disrupt sophisticated threats through continuous improvements in their safety systems and collaboration with industry partners. • Recent Trends: OpenAI has detected and disrupted operations from actors in Russia, China, Iran, and a commercial company in Israel. These operations, including ones named "Bad Grammar" and "Doppelganger," used AI to generate content but failed to engage authentically with audiences. • Techniques and Tactics: The actors use AI to produce high volumes of content, mixing AI-generated and traditional formats, and faking engagement by generating replies to their own posts. Despite these efforts, they struggled to reach authentic audiences. • Defensive Strategies: OpenAI employs defensive design policies, such as friction-imposing features, to thwart malicious use. They also share detailed threat indicators with industry peers to enhance the effectiveness of disruptions. • Case Studies: Examples include Russian and Chinese networks targeting various regions with limited engagement, and an Iranian network generating anti-US and anti-Israeli content. These operations highlight the ongoing challenge of AI misuse. • Open Source Intelligence: Dekens discusses his work with Shadow Dragon, including a white paper on using open-source intelligence to identify and monitor troll and bot armies. He explains how prompt error messages can be a key indicator of malicious activity.
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    9 mins
  • S03 E04: ShadowDragon Special Edition Podcast: Terrorist Threats, French Elections, and Political Protests

    S03 E04: ShadowDragon Special Edition Podcast: Terrorist Threats, French Elections, and Political Protests
    Jul 9 2024
    The Shadow Dragon Special Edition Podcast Introduction: - The podcast covers open source intelligence (OSINT) and geopolitics. - Topics include military bases on alert, global protests, and elections. Military Alert in Europe: - Several U.S. military bases in Europe are on heightened alert (state of alert Charlie, second highest level). - The alert is due to potential terrorist threats, indicating specific intelligence pointing to possible attacks. - Bases affected include the European Command Headquarters in Stuttgart and Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Global Protests: - Increasing protests against Western facilities, particularly banks, by groups identifying as anti-globalist and pro-Palestine. - These groups target businesses with ties to Israel through physical and digital attacks. Elections and Political Disturbances: - Protests related to election outcomes, especially in France, where there is significant opposition to Le Pen and her right-wing party. - Demonstrations, such as the large protest at Place de la République on June 30, are becoming more common. - Monitoring shows that left-wing and pro-Palestine groups are joining forces against right-wing politics and large companies linked to Israel. - Similar patterns observed in elections in the Netherlands, Argentina, and the U.S. Conclusion: - The podcast emphasizes the global scale of these issues and encourages listeners to visit their website for more information.
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    5 mins
  • S03 E03: Horizon Launch

    S03 E03: Horizon Launch
    May 9 2024
    Nico, the Director of Intelligence Collection Innovation, is joined by Daniel Clemens, CEO, David Cook, Director of National Security, and Elliott, the CTO of Shadow Dragon. The team discusses the dynamic nature of the internet and how their tools must continuously adapt to these changes. Elliott shares insights into the complexities of developing scalable and effective open-source intelligence tools that can keep up with the rapid evolution of online platforms and data. Nico and the team bring up the feedback from customers and some of our favorite capabilities of Horizon, the OSINT Platform. Here are some highlighted capabilities: • Speed of Horizon is unmatched • Ease of data integration • Mobile, on-the-go capability as a web-based platform • Timeline feature allowing investigators and analysts to visualize artifacts on a timeline OSINT is vital for due diligence and knowing your customers, employees, and partners. The guys talk about some examples and move into some current events, including the protests on college campuses. Publicly available information (PAI) offers a window into peoples’ digital lives to identify bad habits. The guys talk about influence operations from adversarial nations and the linkages in the digital world. As we all live more online, adversarial nations and bad actors have injected malign information meant to influence people ultimately outcomes. David brought up a propaganda playbook that fits into today’s modern, digital world where people are being influenced from never-ending streams of online information without, or instead of, validating ideas among friends, family or small groups to provide a check on actions. The concept is discussed on the backdrop of campus protests. Daniel stresses the importance of mindset – whether you’re an investigator, entrepreneur, or artist, “mindset is everything in winning.” Having a mindset that doesn’t need external validation from society creates better outcomes. “You have to be believe that you are going to win, and be surprised when you lose,” has been Daniel’s mindset and the mindset he encourages other to take taking on a task. Daniel’s investigative experience draws on this mindset to ask the right questions to get the right answers. This podcast is available in video and audio versions at your favorite podcast outlet, popular video platforms, and the ShadowDragon website. Subscribe to the podcast to stay up to date on the latest. Thank you for listening.
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    52 mins
  • S03 Special Episode

    S03 Special Episode
    Apr 2 2024
    38 mins
  • S03 E02: EdgeTheory and Narrative Intelligence

    S03 E02: EdgeTheory and Narrative Intelligence
    Mar 22 2024
    Hosts: Joe Stradinger, EdgeTheory CEO Daniel Clemens, ShadowDragon CEO Elliott Anderson, ShadowDragon CTO David Cook, Director – National Security Daniel and David traveled to University of Mississippi last month to the inaugural National Center for Narrative Intelligence (NCNI) Summit hosted by EdgeTheory. The guys talk about the Summit, Joe’s path to becoming EdgeTheory’s founder and CEO, and the importance of storytelling and narratives in a dynamic world. This time around, we spoke about Narrative Intelligence and how OSINT is similar in finding sources but can sometimes produce different products. Today, the amount of publicly available information (PAI) is expanding every day, which gives people, companies, and governments more information to synthesize and investigate than ever before. ‘Chatter’ online can grow and form narratives at incredible speed and resonance, creating often-times outsized impacts in society, markets, elections, and so much more. Listen in as Daniel queues in on EdgeTheory’s “Intercontinental Ballistic Narratives,” or ICBNs, to ask who is the greatest manipulator of narratives? Joe breaks down the different ways EdgeTheory sees between Russia, China and Iran utilizing ICBNs to subvert Western Nations. As geographic borders fade in today’s online struggle, adversaries ‘spoof’ or manipulate where the origin of their cognitive attacks on populations come from, making it more difficult to quantify risk. Listen for more insight on: • Advanced Persistent Manipulators (APMs) • Joe’s take on AI (hint: “AI is a math trick, it’s a very good math trick, but it’s a math trick“) • Utilizing OSINT and Narrative Intelligence to gain decision advantage • Navigating a ‘post-truth world’ Visit EdgeTheory’s website to learn more: https://edgetheory.com/ Learn more about the National Center for Narrative Intelligence here: https://ncni.us/ This podcast is available in video and audio versions at your favorite podcast outlet, popular video platforms, and the ShadowDragon website. Subscribe to the podcast to stay up to date on the latest. Thank you for listening. Special Guest: Joe Stradinger.
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    1 hr and 1 min