Introduction to Maltego

What is Maltego?


Maltego is a tool that’s available on dual licensing enabling commercial use or freely, providing a tool that’s used to investigate relationships using data, then map, store and print reports from those investigative views that makes it far more difficult for others to ignore.

I first stumbled across it when reviewing the information provided by Facebook to professional users, such as app providers, and the means in which that data subsequently allows them to facilitate advanced behavioural analysis as an international commercial entity

(it’s generally rather difficult for a person to participate in society without social media accounts; the above video gives some insight into what that costs).

The commercial version of Maltego offers more features and plugins that are otherwise not available in the community edition.  One example is the Social Links framework that provides enhancements for social-network analysis than is otherwise provided ‘out of the box’ by the Maltego community edition.  Whilst SocialLinks is only one example, their videos can be found here.

 

What is Open Source Intelligence?

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a term used to refer to the data collected from publicly available sources to be used in an intelligence context. In the intelligence community, the term “open” refers to overt, publicly available sources (as opposed to covert or clandestine sources).”
In simple terms, Open Source Intelligence is the use of publicly available datasources and the data sources made available to you (legitimately) to communicate an issue using data that you’re inspired enough to undertake the exhaustive task of collecting, collating and representing that issue in a manner that may be taken more seriously by law enforcement officials, lawyers, medical clinicians or other parties you provide that information to.
Indeed, so long as it’s public information and the information you have rightful use to use; and that information is true and correct, with appropriate consideration is unlikely anyone is able to stop or punish you for publishing it on a website, mark it up with the appropriate tools and create an outcome that’s likely to be  top search result for those mentioned in the output.

IMHO it’s important not to make problems those of children or others. Where others fail to do their job, the means made available by OSINT techniques can clarify circumstances in ways that may be reviewed by others as to resolve problems.  It’s important not to be a problem whilst using these techniques.