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Nixintel Profile picture
@nixintel
Oct 4, 2021 • 12 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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Last week a key ransomware threat actor was arrested in Kiev, Ukraine.

I wondered if it was possible to do a little geolocation and find out where he was living the high life.

The source video is the official release from the Ukranian Police:

Using YouTube-dl to download the video and FFMPEG to split into a series of stills makes finding clues a little easier.

(Guide here: nixintel.info/osint-tools/us…)

You can also use Frame-by-Frame to do this in your browser (HT @salaheldinaz)

watchframebyframe.com/watch/yt/I20fa…
Here are the key images with exterior detail:

1) Yellow/Green pipe construction outside.
2) "Autograph" sign on the wall. ImageImage
So we know the building is in Kiev - but where?

A search for businesses called "Autograph" only brings one plausible match in Kiev - a beauty salon on Yevhena Konvaltsia Street.

g.page/autographfashi…

Verifying the location is not so easy though...
The Google Street View coverage is 6 years out of date. Here's where Autograph should appear.

We need to find an alternate image source. Image
Mapillary often has coverage where Street View does not. Here's the location in 2019.

The distinctive yellow pipe and tall background buildings are very similar the ones in the arrest video. ImageImage
Business Facebook pages can also be useful for localised images. This is from the Autograph salon Facebook page.

The sign from the police video is in the green square. The orange arrow is likely the door they entered through. ImageImage
There might be little Street View coverage, but photos uploaded to Google Maps help to fill the gaps with local detail.

Here's the perfect picture that explains the yellow/green pipes in the first frame of the video:

google.com/maps/@50.42719… ImageImage
Notice the green pipes/slide reflected in the window when the police enter the apartment block. Image
So all this means that the arrested ransomware suspect was living in the "Aristocrat" apartment complex in Kiev. Image
Apartments there currently selling for the equivalent of beween $170k and $220k.

(Avg UKR salary is approx $700 US per month)

blagovist.ua/eng/search/apa…

(There might be another one for sale very soon...)
The full story by @campuscodi is here:

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More from @nixintel

Nixintel Profile picture
Oct 17, 2023
Despite the darkness and many fakes, I think it's possible to verify the hospital location in the #AlJazeera footage.

If correct, it tends to support the idea that the most likely cause of the explosion was a missile failure.

Here's what I've been able to verify so far: 1/n Image
The full footage can be found here, in a broadcast from @ajmubasher:



2/n
Working back from the end, it is possible to verify that the Al-Ahli hospital is the location seen burning after the blast.

Notice the distinctive sloping roofs with solar panels. Images are from Google Earth.

Image
Image
Image
Read 16 tweets
Nixintel Profile picture
Mar 9, 2023
Thread continued from here 👇
Second impact of OSINT is it's ability to shift public confidence. The OSINT community is quick to expose Russian lies e..g. re: troop movements.

26/n
Third: OSINT has been able to challenge and rebut Russian false flag and propaganda claims. It has limited the effectiveness of Russian info ops.

27/n
Read 10 tweets
Nixintel Profile picture
Mar 9, 2023
"There's No Such Thing As Open Source Intelligence"

Apart from the clickbait title, what are the key takeaways from this article by a serving US Navy Intel officer?

The tone is very different to other recent military takes on #OSINT.

A thread (1/n)

tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
The author argues that OSINT is distinct from other INT sources (SIGINT, HUMINT, IMINT etc) because it is defined by how accessible it is ("publicly available",) rather than the nature of the source (signals, human, images etc).

2/n
The impact of this confusing taxonomy is that OSINT becomes a "junk drawer" of ill-defined types of information.

Unlike other INTs, the source type is vague and unclear.

3/n
Read 26 tweets
Nixintel Profile picture
May 6, 2022
BULLSHINT is alive and well.

If you have gaps in your intelligence picture, it is ok to say "I don't know" or "I need more data to form a conclusion".

It is never acceptable to fill the gaps with speculation and call it intelligence. 🧵 1/
All forms of intelligence, including #OSINT, involve assessment, evaluation and analysis.

There are a few different models, but they mostly look somthing like this:

2/
You plan, collect raw information, process it, analyse it, and then finally disseminate it for action. Always with the overall mission in mind.

Good analysis and evaluation is what turns raw information into actionable intelligence. 3/
Read 21 tweets
Nixintel Profile picture
Mar 22, 2022
Another very different true story from intelligence history.

It's certainly the most disgusting act of intel gathering I've ever heard of.

Here's how poor opsec and the careless toilet habits of Soviet soldiers became a reliable source of intel for NATO in the Cold War... 1/
After WW2 Germany was divided into Allied and Russian occupation zones.

Mistrust and paranoia between the two sides was rife and each was afraid of the other side launching a surprise attack on the other... 2/
To counter this, each side agreed to allowing a military mission from the opposing side to be stationed on their territory and observe military exercises.

That way it would be impossible for NATO/Soviet forces to prepare for an attack without being observed by the other. 3/
Read 18 tweets
Nixintel Profile picture
Mar 21, 2022
I've been reading up on the history of OSINT recently (although it wasn't always called "OSINT" of course...).

I found an interesting early example of image-based intelligence going back to WW2.

These days we'd call it "crowdsourced"... 1/
In 1942 the allies were struggling for reliable images of locations in Nazi-occupied Europe. These were needed to plan bombing raids and operations like D-Day.

The allies had reconnaissance planes, but they were limited by range and weather, and were often shot down. 2/
So in 1942 the head of British intelligence, Admiral Godfrey, put out an appeal on BBC radio for listeners to send in photographs and postcards they had from mainland Europe, especially if the area was of military interest. 3/
Read 5 tweets

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