4 x days OSINT Course: Effective methods for using social media & Internet as investigative tools - By David Benford of Blackstage Forensics

"Researching safely, efficiently and effectively!" 

Venue: Advantage House, Lichfield, Staffordshire , United Kingdom

Cost: Cost per delegate is £1300.00 + VAT for 4 days, including course materials, lunches/refreshments during course and 1 year of OSINT tech support via email

We are delighted to be going back to training in the classroom! We are restricting this course to just 8 delegates in total. All activities will be carried out safely and will adhere to strict rules and distancing in relation to protecting both delegates and staff from COVID 19. Lateral Flow testing will be on hand for all involved.

This course is aimed at investigators and security professionals.

In 2021, almost all investigations warrant a delve into online content: from websites to social media, from corporate data to consented data. There is so much data available online, but this should be gathered in a safe and secure manner, using appropriate techniques and tools. This course helps address many of these challenges, and delegates will gain the tools and strategies to approach these challenges with increased skill and confidence. This may be useful for internal or external investigations, screening, recovering stolen goods or other intelligence reconnaissance. This training not only teaches the technicalities, but has a strong focus on investigative strategies and "joining up the pieces", and is delivered by a leading investigator.

Recent feedback : 

"Whilst there exists a surfeit of choice for OSINT training, a vanishingly small number approach the quality of that provided by David Benford. An internationally-renowned authority in the field, David's continued support and mentorship, beyond the excellent in-course instruction, explains the regard in which he is held within the global OSINT community."

"I’d go as far as saying this is probably the best training course I’ve been on in my career..."

"Great OSINT course this week... Engaging content, practical exercises and up to date."

"It was a really great course by the way, and very useful! "

"Thanks again for this week, really enjoyed it!"

"I learnt lots, and now appreciate how much more there is left to learn."

"For me the course was a real eye-opener and I hope that I will be able to devote some time to developing my newfound skills."

"I just wanted to say how brilliant the training has been!"

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Course details:  4 full days intensive task-driven open source practical course aimed at developing delegates’ skills in understanding the Internet, open sources & social media and how to effectively search them for information and intelligence for investigation & security purposes Topics covered will include:

            • Overview of today’s digital world, including what digital devices are capable of, such as geo-location, metadata, digital images etc and how they can leave a digital footprint

            • Methods for recording & capturing data within an investigation

            • Use of browsers and their purpose & use in open source investigations, including use of add-ons, plug-ins, bookmarks etc

            • Exploration of basic & advanced techniques in the use of search engines

            • Software tools for open source social media investigations

            • Methods for investigating some of the main social media sites and social media apps

            • Drilling down into Facebook and Twitter

            • Safety & security - Operational Security (OPSEC) how to protect our identities whilst investigating online 

            • Ethics, safety, privacy and operational issues which may arise when undertaking online investigations

            • Security and open source information

            • Digital photographs within an investigation

            • Personal Identifiers: Use of usernames, email addresses and  phone numbers within investigations

            • Digital profiling, workflows and connecting intelligence artefacts within investigations

            • Government-shared & non-social media open source data & consented data

            • Breached databases within investigations

            • Websites & domains

            • Linking individuals to addresses & patterns of life

Class size: Class sizes are restricted to a maximum of 8 delegates per classroom-based course.

Delivery: The course will be delivered in person. During the course, delegates will be given practical tasks to complete and each will be reviewed and discussed as a group.

Requirements: To partake in the course, all delegates must already be able to use a computer and web browser. A basic understanding of social media and smart phones would also be advantageous, but not essential. 

Objective: To gain practical skills and knowledge to effectively carry out online investigations in a safe, secure and structured manner.

Pre-course preparation: All delegates will be required to create an email account and some social media passive accounts prior to the event. Details for this will be provided before the course begins.

Equipment: Each delegate will be provided with the use of an Internet-connected Windows computer for the duration of the course. All delegates will be issued with electronic copies of course materials and a certificate of attendance.

Contact: In event of query then email "mail [@] blackstage-forensics.co.uk "