Thomas Quilty

Colossus SSP filed an amended complaint against Adalytics today. They removed references to TRUSTX and BidSwitch, and added in some quotes from a "third-party expert." These quotes may look familiar, as they match Dr. Augustine Fou's May 29th post: https://lnkd.in/eUfd3SWB. I'm sure the wording of "third-party" versus "independent" was intentional. This is why conflict disclosure matters. Dr. Augustine Fou has repeatedly denied any conflict, while also suggesting that his Reddit post 24 days ago was his "disclosure" (https://lnkd.in/e6cTHW-D). This is the Reddit post that I highlighted when he failed to disclose this relationship to someone that asked him a narrower question about whether he has been employed by Colossus (https://lnkd.in/eeUwNijs). I'll let someone else go back and forth with him on the eid & cookie maturity issues. I'm sharing this as I believe it's important context in light of the apparent failures to publicly disclose the nature of his business relationship until I forced the issue. For anyone else that wants to pull the documents from Pacer, the version with red-lines is Document 9-1, Case 8:24-cv-01402-PX. #transparency #ethics #adtech

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Don't miss this sizzling hot discussion with the #MiddleEast and #securit analyst Kyle Orton on The Washington Outsider #Report on Coalition Radio. Nearly two months after a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall, which took 144 lives, wounded scores of others, and was widely attributed to #ISISK, the story is all but forgotten thanks to the hectic nature of the news cycle. A few suspects were arrested, but the details of the consequent investigation were few and quite suspect. The surprising lack of a political response to #ISISK by #Russia in light of the alleged enmity between the terrorist organization and the state, too, seems to have faded away. Yet since then, #ISISK continued to grow its reach, with multiple arrests in various countries, and alleged expansion into neighboring states, that should raise a question - why such a massive attack was forgotten so quickly, especially by Russia itself. The Washington Outsider #Report on Coalition Radio takes a deep dive with the analyst Kyle Orton to investigate what's really going with this story - and why it remains relevant to this date and the impact of these events are likely to have a long-term global impact. We talk about: * the similarities and differences between the Moscow attack and the alleged #ISISK attack in #Iran only a couple of months prior, and what these developments say about the #security agencies in both countries. Is there a connection? * We discuss the pattern of#ISISK's growth in #Europe and #CentralAsia, and why the Moscow attack was such a wakeup call to the #media, despite a growth pattern over time. * We look at #Russia's actions in the #MiddleEast, particularly #Syria - did #Kremlin's interventions invite a disaster? * We examine the allegations of the #Israel-#Russia cooperation in #Syria over airstrikes aimed at #Iran targets, which supposedly precluded #Israel from taking an open stand in support of #Ukraine until recently - and why the #security interest explanation for Jerusalem's ties to #Russia are bogus. * We analyze the various inconsistencies in the official #Russia reports of the attack - is this the repetition of #Putin's record in masterminding domestic terrorist attacks to come to power? * Was the #ISISK concert hall attack really a "false flag" operation - or a strange hybrid of other typical Russian methods? * Can #Russia coopt #ISISK the same way it has coopted Chechen leadership? Will we see a change in foreign policy? And why wouldn't #Russia respond conclusively to #terrorism if it was indeed a legitimate attack? * Should the West end all pretense at #counterterrorism cooperation with #Russia? .... and so much more. Don't miss a very insightful conversation.

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The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray said in an interview, adding that he is “hard pressed to think of a time in my career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.” Wray talked about partnerships between law enforcement agencies and also with other entities. His remarks come as the FBI confronts heightened concerns over terrorism, both domestic and international, as well as Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft and foreign election interference. Wray’s assessment of an elevated threat landscape is consistent with alarm bells he has sounded for months. Soon after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, Wray began warning that the rampage could serve as an inspiration to militants, “the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate years ago.” The FBI has also scrambled to deal with security concerns related to the United States' southern border, with officials revealing in June that eight people from Tajikistan with suspected ties to the Islamic State group were arrested and were being held on immigration violations. The UMBRA suite of threat intelligence, OSINT, data security, precrime surveillance and predictive analytics is critical to all of the FBI's requirements. UMBRA delivers #nationalsecurity. https://umbra.global/ #nationaldefense #computersecurity #precrime #terrorism #infrastructure #OSINT #predictiveanalytics #electronicwarfare #suntzu #ai #datasecurity

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"among the most enduring lessons I learned is that measuring winning and losing in the Middle East is often not readily apparent in the moment. The consequence of any single event sometimes unfolds over generations." [..] The United States Has More at Risk in the Middle East Than You Probably Think A CIA veteran explains why killing the enemy and winning battles does not, alone, win wars anymore.[..] #Iran and #Hezbollah have many more #American than Israeli targets to choose from in locations across the Middle East and elsewhere, where they have capabilities and advantages — and where the U.S. has limited defenses.[..] The war is also making it far more likely that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, will approve weaponizing his country’s #nuclear program. And his choice becomes easier and relatively less costly the more Iran incurs disproportionate damage from its engagements with Israel and the United States. While Iran would likely aim to keep its decision, and plans, to weaponize a secret, I expect U.S. and Israeli intelligence capabilities would discover it in short order. And then what? [..]

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The most likely cause of the #HavanaSyndrome is the deployment of Directed Energy Weapons or #DEWs - possibly including - but not limited to #neurostrike weapons. These weapons platforms are in active use and are not exclusive to just one or two countries. Many different nations have access to this technology. The title below suggests that "China is 'developing'" this technology - and that is correct, however it incorrectly leads one to believe that this tech is still relatively undeveloped when this field of study in actuality has been ongoing for at least half a century. This article is simply an example of well-crafter predictive programming - but does contain some nice data-nuggets and information for your perusal and consumption. https://lnkd.in/gijdrR6J

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🕵 Criminal investigation traditionally focuses on collecting and analyzing visible physical evidence, such as weapons, biological fluids, fingerprints and fingerprints, based on Edmond Locard’s "principle of exchange", which states that "every contact leaves a trail". Originally, this principle applied to visible evidence such as pollen, sand and fibers, but modern techniques have extended this concept to microbial traces. 🕵 Recent advances in forensic microbiology have shown that bacterial communities on a person’s skin can be transferred to the clothes they wear and remain there for months. These microbial communities, specific to each individual, can be used to identify the owner of a garment, even long after it has been worn. 🕵 A recent study found that skin bacteria transferred to T-shirts could be clearly distinguished and persist for up to 180 days. In addition, the transfer of bacteria between clothes stored together was observed, showing how microbes can be transferred between different objects. 🕵 Forensic microbiology, which began with the identification of bioterrorist threats, is now used to solve various aspects of criminal investigations. Studies have shown that microbial signatures can help identify individuals after death, determine the cause and time of death, and provide information about a person’s health before death. Discover the truth with our services 🕵💥 📌🔎 Solve your investigation confidentially 📲 CALL TODAY at 787-276-5619    #FF2 #InvestigationCriminal #ForensicInvestigationPuertoRico #DigitalForensicsPuertoRico #linkedin #linkedincommunity

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When it comes to digital forensic investigations, not all geolocation data is created equal. Learn some best practices for pinpointing locations, establishing timelines, and corroborating testimonies to convict or exonerate suspects -- and learn the limitations of these powerful forensic artifacts.

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I am continuing with Part 3 on how to structure the mind map in OSINT investigation in Mastering OSINT with Mind Mapping series. #osint #syberseeker https://lnkd.in/gVAQJRAP

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"We urge caution when enhancing video, since increasing only the brightness in videos captured at night may misrepresent the visibility of items at the time of recording.": a sentence in the interesting article https://lnkd.in/dRy78z54 by Dave Blake, PhD, CFVT and Robert McFarlane links very well with something I've been thinking about a lot lately: the difference in working with videos coming from CCTV and body-worn cameras (BWC). Most of the time, we use CCTV to identify a subject or understand the dynamics of an event when no human witness is available, so enhancement plays a key factor. On the other hand, having a BWC video means that an officer was there. We likely already know a lot and identify the subject most of the time. BWC videos are very often used to better understand the behavior of both the filmed subjects and the officers wearing the cameras. Blake and McFarlane's sentence underlines the importance of understanding the final purpose of video analysis (and eventual enhancement). If we want to identify a person, we definitely need to boost the brightness, but if we want to understand whether a person in a dark alley could have been seen by the officer wearing the BWC or not, then we may need to avoid it. I want to add a remark, though: the way our visual system (= eye + brain) and a camera perceive the light is completely different. Hence, I am not sure even the dark BWC video can faithfully represent what the officer saw. And very likely, the BWC had a wide-angle lens, making straight objects appear curved. It's important for the analysis to have the right preparation and sensibility to evaluate the impact of this issue. In the end, as said many times, the final purpose of forensic video enhancement is not to give us a nice picture but a more accurate representation of the captured scene. Thanks to the authors of the article for highlighting again the importance of correctly acquiring, processing, and analyzing video evidence! Together, article after article, we can improve the security and justice of our society. 💪

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Systems used by courts and governments across the US riddled with vulnerabilities Public record systems used by courts and governments to manage voter registrations and legal filings have been plagued by vulnerabilities that allowed attackers to manipulate databases, altering or removing official documents. Over the past year, Jason Parker, a software developer turned security researcher, has identified and reported numerous critical security flaws in at least 19 commercial platforms used by hundreds of courts, government agencies, and police departments nationwide. Many of these vulnerabilities were severe. For instance, in Georgia's voter registration cancellation portal, a flaw enabled anyone with a voter’s name, birthdate, and county of residence to cancel that individual’s registration. Additionally, document management systems in courthouses across the U.S. were found to have multiple flaws, exposing sensitive information like sealed psychiatric evaluations. In some cases, unauthorized users could gain access to court clerk privileges, allowing them to create, delete, or modify filings. Fundamental system failures: These systems are essential to the functioning of justice, voting rights, and other critical government operations. The high number of vulnerabilities—mainly due to weak permission controls, poor input validation, and flawed authentication mechanisms—reveals a troubling lack of attention to securing systems that millions of people depend on daily. #cybersecurity #nationalsecurity #privacy #hacker #breach #vulnerabilities #cyberattack #gov #USgov

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🦋 Decentralized social media platforms are growing rapidly, attracting users with promises of privacy and transparency while presenting new challenges—and opportunities—for #OSINT practitioners. Join Skopenow’s Stephen Adams on Thursday, December 12 at 11:00 AM ET for our newest webinar on integrating these platforms into your investigations. He’ll review topics like: 📋 How to set up research accounts properly 👣 Navigating and gathering intel efficiently 🧑‍⚖️ Best practice considerations for investigators Get ahead in the ever-evolving OSINT landscape—register now! 👉 https://bit.ly/4gckdgM

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Colorado’s counterterrorism center is warning law enforcement that insider threats are “likely to be an issue” in next week’s election. In an election that has already seen ballot box fires set in three states, the threat landscape is historic. From WIRED: “What were once considered sleepy and mundane administrative roles in government have become the subjects of intense scrutiny in the past four years. Election workers across the US have reported death threats against them and their families, stalking, and harassment. The volume of threats against those workers was so significant that the Justice Department was compelled to form the ‘Election Threats Task Force’ in 2021. And the threats have been a major factor in what’s been the highest rate of election worker turnover seen in decades; at least 36 percent of local election offices have changed hands since 2020. By 2022, in 50 out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania, election chiefs had left their positions due to threats.” #elections #vote2024 #cybersecurity #electionsecurity #publicpolicy https://lnkd.in/gUjyJZQ4

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📢 Terror threat cancels Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna 🚫 Yesterday, CNN and several other media outlets reported that organizers in Austria had canceled three of Taylor Swift's performances after authorities foiled a planned terror attack targeting the Vienna leg of her Eras Tour. Several suspects with links to ISIS were arrested, and the severity of the threat led to the decision to cancel the concerts. The Austrian interior minister stated, "The situation was serious, the situation is serious." In a free society, while absolute security is unattainable, it remains essential to combine technology and human efforts to mitigate risks. Jonas Timm, Securitas Germany, was featured yesterday in an article in German media outlet FUNKE's publications, where he emphasized: “At Securitas, we work closely with the police and use advanced technology such as metal detectors and intelligent surveillance to ensure top-level security.” He also noted that although physical security measures like handheld scanners and intelligent video technology can significantly reduce risks, legal and cost-related barriers, particularly around data protection, must be addressed. "It's clear that every form of risk reduction must be considered when it comes to protecting people's safety and their participation in social life", he stated. I believe it’s crucial to strike the right balance between freedom and security, especially at large public events where so many lives are at stake. While we can never eliminate all risks, we must do everything in our power to minimize them. I’m glad that the authorities and organizers took the right precautions and responded quickly to the specific threats—and I hope for all the "Swifties" affected that new dates will be found soon! Read the full article in Berliner Morgenpost (in German): https://lnkd.in/dSURf2ub #Securitas #EventSecurity #SecuritySolutions #PublicSafety #CrisisManagement #RiskMitigation #EventSafety

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This is why I believe tools should, as much as possible, create specific artifacts for groups of images that share distinct contextual meaning. Just dumping all images in the Media category is not going to cut it. For one example of images that have distinct meaning based on where they are found see here: https://buff.ly/3X9E2if #DFIR #DigitalForensics #MobileForensics

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DICK'S Sporting Goods Says Sensitive Data Exposed in Cyberattack according to SecurityWeek. In a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dick’s Sporting Goods said it discovered unauthorized third-party access to its information systems on August 21. The breach exposed portions of the company’s IT systems containing confidential information. In light of the recent cyberattack on Dick's Sporting Goods, it's a critical reminder for businesses of all sizes to prioritize cybersecurity. The breach, which exposed confidential data, underscores the importance of robust security measures and rapid response protocols. For more details on the incident and how to protect your business, see the article here: https://lnkd.in/gbAz7XM2 #DicksSportingGoods #CyberAttack #Cybersecurity #DataBreach #SecurityWeek

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