Hunting Threat Actors using OSINT Forensics
Abi Waddell
BSides NYC 2023 (0x04) · Day 1 · Talk - Blue
In this compelling presentation from BSides NYC, Abi Waddell, Vice President of Security Testing at Inquirics, delved into the often-overlooked yet critical domain of **Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) forensics** for identifying the source of cyber breaches and the individuals behind them. The talk highlighted a significant gap in traditional cybersecurity investigations: while existing tools and methodologies excel at determining *what* an attacker did and *how* they did it, they frequently fall short in answering the crucial question of *who* is responsible. This deficiency arises because much of the preparatory and post-breach reconnaissance activities occur off-network, beyond the visibility of conventional security controls.
AI review
Competent BSides-tier OSINT talk with genuine breadth — the leaked password gender analysis and base64 Facebook query construction show real original research baked in. The case studies are well-structured and honest about methodology. Not groundbreaking for anyone who's done serious attribution work, but it's practitioner-built content with actual receipts, not a vendor deck.