Sock Puppet Creation & Note Taking Applications PDF

SOCK PUPPET AND NOTE TAKING APPLICATIONS NIGERIAN ARMY CYBER WARFARE SCHOOL HAFIZ AUWALU KOKO Introduction to Sock Puppet Account What is sock puppet account? Inthe context of OSINT investigations, a sock puppet account refers to a fake or fraudulent online persona created...

SOCK PUPPET AND NOTE TAKING APPLICATIONS NIGERIAN ARMY CYBER WARFARE SCHOOL HAFIZ AUWALU KOKO Introduction to Sock Puppet Account What is sock puppet account? Inthe context of OSINT investigations, a sock puppet account refers to a fake or fraudulent online persona created by an investigator to gather information or interact with individuals or communities without revealing their true identity. Sock puppet accounts are commonly used in online investigations to maintain anonymity, bypass access restrictions, and gather intelligence discreetly. Introduction to Sock Puppet Account Let’s Look at some elements of sock puppet account in OSINT investigation Fictitious Identity: Sock puppet accounts are created using false or fabricated identities, including fake names, profile pictures, and personal details. The goal is to create a believable persona that can interact with the target audience or community without arousing suspicion. Undercover Operations: Sock puppet accounts are used in undercover operations to infiltrate online communities, forums, or social media platforms frequented by individuals of interest. Investigators use these accounts to observe conversations, gather information, and establish connections with potential sources or subjects of investigation. Introduction to Sock Puppet Account Information Gathering: Sock puppet accounts are employed to gather information, intelligence, or evidence relevant to the investigation. Investigators may engage in conversations, ask questions, or solicit information from other users while maintaining the guise of their fake identity. OpSec and Anonymity: Sock puppet accounts help investigators maintain operational security (OpSec) and anonymity while conducting online investigations. By using pseudonymous identities, investigators can protect their true identity and avoid detection by adversaries or individuals under investigation. Sockpuppet accounts play a strategic role in OSINT investigations, allowing investigators to gather information discreetly, engage with online communities, and uncover valuable intelligence while preserving their anonymity and operational security.  Introduction to Sock Puppet Account Why do we need sock puppet account in OSINT investigation? Anonymity: Creating a sock puppet account allows investigators to maintain anonymity while conducting online investigations. By using a pseudonymous identity, investigators can protect their true identity and avoid detection by adversaries or individuals under investigation. Access: Sock puppet accounts enable investigators to gain access to restricted or private online communities, forums, or social media groups. In some cases, access to these platforms may be limited to registered users, making a sock puppet account necessary to gather information from these sources. Engagement: Sock puppet accounts allow investigators to engage with individuals or communities of interest without revealing their true identity. By interacting with other users, asking questions, or soliciting information, investigators can gather intelligence and establish connections relevant to the investigation. Introduction to Sock Puppet Account Observation: Sock puppet accounts enable investigators to observe conversations, discussions, and activities within online communities or forums. By monitoring discussions and interactions, investigators can gather valuable insights, identify key players, and uncover information relevant to the investigation. Discretion: Using a sock puppet account provides investigators with a level of discretion and operational security (OpSec) while conducting online investigations. By maintaining a separate identity from their personal or professional profiles, investigators can minimize the risk of compromising their investigation or exposing themselves to potential threats. Protection: Sock puppet accounts can help protect investigators from retaliation or harassment by adversaries or individuals under investigation. By using a pseudonymous identity, investigators can shield themselves from direct exposure and mitigate the risk of becoming targets of hostile actions. Introduction to Sock Puppet Account These fake social media accounts are used by both sides of the cyber game. You can find hackers, scammers, bots, and other cyber criminals on the dark side while journalists, penetration testers, and investigators are on the other. Like any decent tool, it can be used for both good and evil. Why would YOU want to create an undercover account? When investigating, it is always a good idea to separate your real identity from the initial investigation. You increase the likelihood of the target will get suspicious. You also run the risk of being identified and doxed, harassed, and in the absolute worst-case scenario, targeted for lethal retaliation. Depending on who the suspect is, you always need to take the appropriate countermeasures to protect your organization/agency, yourself, and even your family. Another thing to take into consideration is that many social media sites have Terms of Service (TOS) that specifically cover fake or investigation accounts. Organizations like Facebook are actively looking for these types of accounts, even if they are law enforcement, and banning them. Creating an Online Persona Creating a sock puppet account Some people make these accounts from scratch. The more content and backstory you create in the beginning gives you more of direction to make the account look like a real person’s account. Use a password manager to keep track of everything you are creating for these accounts including the user/pass info and keep notes. KeePassXC is a great free solution that is cross-platform that will allow you to share your password management database among multiple computers and different operating systems. Creating an Online Persona Character/Persona generators Creatingan account can take some time, effort, Below is a list of resources you can use when generating your Sock Puppet persona. Just remember that all information generated is fake. You can change the data to fit your narrative: Fake Identity Generator (fakepersongenerator.com) Random Name Generator (www.elfqrin.com/fakeid.php) Random Character Generator (random-character.com) Personality Generator (rangen.co.uk) Trait Generator (rangen.co.uk) Creating an Online Persona Let’s Visit fake identity generator site https://fakepersongenerator.com/ Creating an Online Persona Let’s Visit fake identity generator site https://fakepersongenerator.com/ Creating an Online Persona Another great resource for generating fakeid https://businer.com/fakeid.php Creating an Online Persona Image generators Generating images that have consistency to them can be a challenge. You want to create a realistic person with history and consistency. It is important to NEVER use pictures of friends or family. This can put the investigation at risk and possibly them at risk as well. (thispersondoesnotexist.com) – GitHub project available AI-Generated Faces (boredhumans.com) Gallery of AI-Generated Faces (generated.photos) Creating an Online Persona Let’s visit fake image generator websites thispersondoesnotexist.com Creating an Online Persona This AI image generation tools can give you laterally any character you want, depending on what type of profile we want to create https://boredhumans.com/text-to-image.php Creating an Online Persona This image gallery tool gives the ability to use one of the already generated images or create your own https://generated.photos/ Creating an Online Persona Emails Creatingan email is the base for setting up your undercover investigation account. This will be used for setting up social media accounts and communications with suspects. Any email service will work. Here are a few: GMX.com Mail.com Protonmail.com Yandex.Mail Creating an Online Persona Tryingto Create an email with GMX we got rejected because of our location, in a serious business we can use TOR or VPN to access the service https://support.gmx.com/ Creating an Online Persona The same thing with mail.com https://support.mail.com Creating an Online Persona Alternatively we can create account in protonmail https://account.proton.me/mail/signup Creating an Online Persona We can also create email with Yandex email service provider Yandex.Mail Creating an Online Persona Virtual Phone numbers, it is very important to have a virtual phone other than the real phone number you use, during investigation the investigator should be able to make anonymous call or even spoofing the number of his target for call and sms, here is a list of some websites that offer such services https://www.spooftel.com/ https://www.spoofcard.com/ https://www.spoofbox.com/ https://myphonerobot.com https://aloware.com/features/instant-phone-numbers/ Creating an Online Persona Spooftel https://www.spooftel.com/ Creating an Online Persona Sfoofcard https://www.spoofcard.com/ Creating an Online Persona Spoofbox spoofbox.com/en/whats-sim Creating an Online Persona Aloware https://aloware.com/features/instant-phone-numbers/ Creating an Online Persona Spoofmyphone https://myphonerobot.com Creating an Online Persona Social Media Accounts When creating a social media account, you want to look as ‘normal’ as possible on the website because many of them are trying to stop people from creating fake accounts. Make sure you are not breaking the law or violating terms of service when doing this. Now things to look at when creating your OSINT undercover accounts: Use public Wi-Fi and do NOT use a VPN Pick a social media site to focus on Use your persona’s “real” phone number for verification Save the information in a password manager like KeePassXC Keep Operational Security (OPSEC) in mind: – Use a very strong password for the password manager access – Use a different password for each account – Never cross over accounts with your real-world or personal Creating an Online Persona Social Media Accounts cont.. Gointo the settings of the account you just created and change the phone number to a VoIP number When you are done, log out of the account Log back in and start adding information to your account relevant to the profiles Go back to step 2 for the rest of the sites you want to try Creating an Online Persona Alternativelywe can use the sock puppet tool that comes pre- installed with CSI-linux  Creating an Online Persona Aging the Account Like a fine wine or good whiskey, the account needs to be “aged”. This means creating content and history. This will minimize the likelihood of the account getting flagged as a fake by the service provider and deleted. Become the persona. Go to the same public WiFi you created the account with to log in and generate activity. Like posts, make comments, share things, and grow your connections. Log out when you are done. This is very important and ties into OPSEC. Not logging out can leak other networks and information out for Big Data if you are not careful. The goal is that you are training the site that you are a real person by doing real- person things. Creating an Online Persona Try to add content and history following the personality of the fake character. This includes finding banners with image searches. Think of banners for your social media pages, memes, and pictures from the location your persona is from. Build your account pages how you believe your sock puppet would have. Add enough information to make it look real. Over time, keep logging into the account and add content to build history and the trustworthiness that the account is a “real” person. Note Taking The Importance of Note Taking in OSINT Investigation Note-taking is crucial in OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) investigations for some reasons: Organization: OSINT investigations often involve gathering vast amounts of information from various sources such as websites, social media platforms, and public records. Note-taking helps organize this information systematically, making it easier to manage and reference during the investigation.  Note Taking Documentation: Detailed notes serve as documentation of the investigative process, including the sources consulted, data collected, and analysis conducted. This documentation is essential for maintaining transparency, accountability, and reproducibility in the investigation. Memory Aid: Note-taking serves as a memory aid, helping investigators recall important details, insights, and observations encountered during the investigation. By documenting key findings and observations in real-time, investigators can avoid relying solely on memory and ensure accuracy in their reporting. Analysis: Notes facilitate analysis by enabling investigators to identify patterns, connections, and discrepancies within the collected information. By documenting their analysis process, investigators can track their thought processes, hypotheses, and conclusions, leading to more robust and insightful findings. Note Taking Collaboration: Notes can be shared with colleagues, collaborators, or stakeholders involved in the investigation, facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing. By documenting findings and insights in a structured format, investigators can communicate effectively with team members and leverage collective expertise to advance the investigation. Report Writing: Notes serve as a foundation for writing reports, summaries, or findings documents at the conclusion of the investigation. By referring to their notes, investigators can ensure that all relevant information is included in the final report, and that findings are accurately represented and supported by evidence. Note Taking Future Reference: Notes serve as a valuable resource for future reference and follow-up investigations. By documenting the details of the investigation, investigators can revisit previous findings, build upon existing knowledge, and identify new leads or avenues for further exploration. Insummary, note-taking is an essential practice in OSINT investigations, enabling investigators to organize information, document the investigative process, aid memory, facilitate analysis and collaboration, ensure legal and ethical compliance, support report writing, and provide a valuable resource for future reference and follow-up investigations. Note Taking There are several free note-taking applications suitable for OSINT investigations. Here are some of the best options: Evernote: Evernote offers a feature-rich note-taking platform with support for text, images, audio recordings, and web clippings. It allows users to organize notes into notebooks and tags, making it suitable for managing research findings and investigative notes. https://evernote.com/download Note Taking OneNote: Microsoft OneNote is a versatile note-taking application that integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft Office products. It offers a range of features, including text formatting, drawing tools, and collaboration capabilities, making it ideal for OSINT investigations. https://www.onenote.com/download Note Taking Google Keep: Google Keep is a simple and intuitive note-taking app that syncs seamlessly across devices. It offers basic note- taking features such as text notes, checklists, and image attachments, making it suitable for capturing quick observations and research snippets during OSINT investigations. https://www.google.com/keep/ Note Taking Simplenote: Simplenote is a minimalist note-taking app focused on speed and simplicity. It allows users to create text-based notes and sync them across devices effortlessly, making it suitable for jotting down quick thoughts, ideas, and research notes during OSINT investigations. https://simplenote.com/ Note Taking Zoho Notebook: Zoho Notebook is a versatile note-taking app that offers support for text notes, checklists, sketches, and multimedia attachments. It provides organizational features such as notebooks, tags, and search functionality, making it suitable for managing research notes and investigative findings. https://www.zoho.com/notebook/notebook-for-windows.html Note Taking Standard Notes: Standard Notes is a secure and privacy-focused note-taking app that offers end-to-end encryption for user data. It provides basic note-taking features and supports extensions for additional functionality, making it suitable for users concerned about data security and privacy during OSINT investigations. https://standardnotes.com/download These free note-taking applications offer a range of features and capabilities suitable for OSINT investigations, including text notes, multimedia support, organizational tools, and synchronization across devices. Depending on your specific needs and preferences, you can choose the app that best fits your workflow and requirements for managing research notes and investigative findings.  Password Manager What is Password Manager A password manager is a software application or service designed to securely store and manage passwords, as well as other sensitive information such as login credentials, credit card details, and personal identification numbers (PINs). Password managers offer several benefits: Strong Password Generation: Password managers can generate strong, unique passwords for each online account, reducing the risk of password reuse and improving overall security. Secure Storage: Password managers encrypt and store passwords in a secure vault, protecting them from unauthorized access. Most password managers use strong encryption algorithms and require a master password or biometric authentication to access the vault. Password Manager Convenience: Password managers streamline the login process by automatically filling in login credentials on websites and mobile apps. This eliminates the need to remember multiple passwords or manually enter them each time you log in. Cross-Platform Syncing: Many password managers offer cross- platform compatibility, allowing users to access their passwords across multiple devices, including computers, smartphones, and tablets. Changes made on one device are synced to all devices, ensuring consistency and accessibility. Password Auditing and Security Alerts: Some password managers offer features such as password auditing and security alerts. Password auditing identifies weak or compromised passwords and prompts users to update them, while security alerts notify users of potential security breaches or password leaks. Password Manager Secure Sharing: Password managers facilitate secure sharing of passwords with trusted individuals or team members. Instead of sharing passwords via insecure channels such as email or messaging apps, users can share access to specific passwords or vaults with others securely. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Integration: Many password managers support two-factor authentication (2FA) integration, adding an extra layer of security to login credentials. This enhances security by requiring an additional authentication method, such as a one-time code sent to a mobile device, in addition to the master password. Password Manager Why should an OSINT Investigator Use Password Manager Theimportance of using a password manager in OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) investigations cannot be overstated. Here's why password managers are crucial in this context: Secure Storage: Password managers securely store login credentials, ensuring that sensitive information such as usernames and passwords are encrypted and protected from unauthorized access. In an OSINT investigation, where access to various online accounts and platforms is essential, keeping these credentials secure is paramount. Password Manager Organizational Efficiency: OSINT investigations often involve managing numerous online accounts across different platforms. A password manager provides a centralized location to store and organize these credentials, improving efficiency and streamlining the investigative process. Strong Password Generation: Password managers can generate strong, unique passwords for each online account. This reduces the risk of password reuse and enhances overall security, critical in protecting accounts against unauthorized access and potential data breaches. Password Manager  Cross-Platform Accessibility: Many password managers offer cross-platform accessibility, allowing investigators to access their stored credentials from various devices. This ensures that investigators can securely access their password vaults regardless of their location or the device they are using, crucial for remote or collaborative investigations.  Password Manager 1.Password Sharing and Collaboration: Password managers often include features for securely sharing login credentials with trusted colleagues or collaborators. This facilitates collaboration on OSINT investigations by enabling investigators to share access to relevant accounts and platforms securely. 2.Security Auditing and Monitoring: Some password managers offer features for auditing password security and monitoring for potential security threats. This includes identifying weak or compromised passwords, monitoring for password leaks or breaches, and providing security alerts to notify investigators of potential risks. 3.Insummary, a password manager is an indispensable tool in OSINT investigations, providing secure storage, strong password generation, organizational efficiency, cross-platform accessibility, collaboration features, security auditing, and compliance with  Password Manager 1.Password Sharing and Collaboration: Password managers often include features for securely sharing login credentials with trusted colleagues or collaborators. This facilitates collaboration on OSINT investigations by enabling investigators to share access to relevant accounts and platforms securely. 2.Security Auditing and Monitoring: Some password managers offer features for auditing password security and monitoring for potential security threats. This includes identifying weak or compromised passwords, monitoring for password leaks or breaches, and providing security alerts to notify investigators of potential risks. Password Manager In summary, a password manager is an indispensable tool in OSINT investigations, providing secure storage, strong password generation, organizational efficiency, cross-platform accessibility, collaboration features, security auditing, and compliance with security best practices. By using a password manager, investigators can enhance their cybersecurity posture, protect sensitive information, and streamline the investigative process while conducting OSINT operations. Password Manager List of some of the free password managing applications Bitwarden: Bitwarden is an open-source password manager that offers strong encryption, cross-platform support, and a user- friendly interface. It allows users to store unlimited passwords, generate strong passwords, and sync data across devices. Bitwarden also offers optional premium features for users who require additional functionality. https://bitwarden.com/download/ Password Manager LastPass Free: LastPass Free is a popular password manager known for its ease of use and comprehensive feature set. It offers secure password storage, automatic form filling, password generation, and multi-device sync. LastPass Free also includes basic multi-factor authentication options for added security. https://lastpass.com/misc_download2.php Password Manager Dashlane Free: Dashlane Free provides users with secure password storage, password generation, and autofill capabilities across devices. It offers a user-friendly interface and additional features such as a digital wallet for storing payment information and secure note storage. Dashlane Free also includes a VPN for secure browsing on public networks. https://www.dashlane.com/ Password Manager KeePass: KeePass is a free, open-source password manager that offers strong encryption and customizable features. It stores passwords in a local database, allowing users to maintain full control over their data. KeePass is highly customizable and offers plugins for additional functionality, although it may have a steeper learning curve compared to other password managers. https://keepass.info/download.html  Password Manager Myki Password Manager & Authenticator: Myki is a decentralized password manager that stores data locally on users' devices, eliminating the need for cloud storage. It offers strong encryption, password generation, and multi-device sync via end-to-end encryption. Myki also includes features for secure sharing of passwords and two- factor authentication. https://myki-offline-password-manager-and-authenticator.en.uptodown.c om/ You can also add the its extension to your browser https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/myki-password-manager-aut /bmikpgodpkclnkgmnpphehdgcimmided Creating Strong Password The "How Secure Is My Password" tool is a website that allows users to input passwords and receive an estimate of how long it would take for a computer to crack that password using various methods, such as brute force attacks or dictionary attacks. The tool provides feedback on the strength of the password based on factors like length, complexity, and the presence of common words or patterns. https://www.security.org/how-secure-is-my-password/