Week 5 - OSINT: Summary of Key Techniques

Question 1

How to use ‘Google’ (or similar) Effectively. Summary.

Answer 1

• always try to use search terms that are unique (as possible). Combine your words with operators (see next card).
• think of synonyms / slang & other languages where relevant
• use capitalisation correctly (e.g for names)
• change your google setting to the relevant location for your search.
  Do this by Google home page settings/ search settings / other settings / language & region / RESULTS REGION (set this to what you want)
• also serach using the rellevant google version e.g google.nl for a ducth enquiry.

Question 2

List the main relevant Google Operators (Google ‘dorks’)

Answer 2

” “ Always start by putting your chosen unique search phrase into qutation marks. Tells google to serach for the exact string of words. This is your root search. Then add more qualifying operators to narrow results.

• use the minus sign to exclude somethign from your results (useful if seraching a person and there is a famous actor with same name for example - use their name then ‘-actor’

AND use this like the + sign to add more relevance to your results. Google will only show results with your serach term AND the added word.

OR will show one word or another in the results (add to other operators)

• is a wildcard

Around(number) finds words that are in proximity to each other. the number you put in brackets specifies the proximity. E.g philosphy AROUND(3) “police work” will return hits where ‘philosophy’ & ‘police work’ are within 3 words of each other.

filetype: This will gives results in a specific type of file e.g using term ‘filetype:jpg’ will return jpg files.

site: search a specific website for your search term (e.g “Carly Davies” site: https://www.bbc.co.uk).
Also remember you can use * with TLDs as well (e.g site:*.ie)

intitle: Search the title page of a website for your term useful for searching desktop versions of social media websites without being logged on (like linkedd in / facebook / instragram / snapchat)

inurl: search a url for your search term

Related: finds sites that are similar to that one e.g related:twitter.com

cache: finds cached versions of a site (e.g cache:www.bbc.co.uk)
Also use Wayback machine

Remember you can combine these with wild card *

Question 3

Searching on Images

Answer 3

Use multiple image searches as they give different results.

Combine with search terms as well.

Can reduce the returned images by filtering on colour

Question 4

Other google tips

Answer 4

• use google scholar for academic papers
• to visit a foreign google and force google to let you use that one without keep redirecting to your own google use the No Country Redirect option

www.google.nl/NCR

• use google gemini (AI)
• use google translate
• use maps and street view (from multiple services - they have different images)

Question 5

Searching for Property

Answer 5

Remember once you have an address search for it within the region specific google (e.g google.es for spain)

Most countries have registries for property / land ownership.

In UK & Ireland it is Land Registry.

We can easily research systems in each country by looking at property buying forums etc.

Remember planning application searches - good source of ownership data / plans etc.

Question 6

Spanish Property Searching

Answer 6

• The property / land registry is called the Cadastre or Cadastra.

The online records can be found in the ‘Boletin Oficial del Estado’

Question 7

US Property Searching

Answer 7

US is very open re property data.

Many ways to access it. One is:

http://netronline.com/
PUBLIC RECORDS MENU

Some let you search by address or name. Sometimes need the property code (PARCEL CODE) use zillow.com to find.

You can usually find:
- Property ownership
- title documents containing financial info like mortgage details, property tax records, plans & ownership history.
Remember the example that showed us incoming wire payments and the company it originated from! as well as passport scans. We can see how much property cost and where the money came from.

Remember European criminals often own property in Florida - particularly Kissemee & Orlando in Osceola County.

Question 8

Irish Property Data

Answer 8

www.landdirect.ie

Rented Property Register (a list of every rented property in Ireland)
www.rtb.ie

Question 9

Informal Info from CARIN - use when stuck after OSINT

Answer 9

CARIN = the Camden Asset Recovery Interagency Network.

An informal network of experts-practitioners in the field of asset
tracing, freezing and confiscation

You can request CAIRN assistance as LE.