Flashpoint, a globally trusted leader in risk intelligence, has released a new report on how open-source intelligence (OSINT) played a big role in the Russia-Ukraine war. 

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, Flashpoint has released its report of ten real-life examples showing how OSINT has helped organisations across the public and private sectors understand a hybrid war that spans cyber, physical, and informational domains.  

“It has become a near imperative for just about every organisation in the world, from governments to enterprises, to be able to acknowledge and calculate their risk profiles in relation to the war,” said Andras Toth-Czifra, Senior Intelligence Analyst at Flashpoint.  

“And because we will likely still see changes in how this war is fought—by what means and at which targets—the importance of obtaining accurate, timely, and actionable intelligence remains essential.” 

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The report found that cyber and physical intelligence influenced internet-driven communication and funding while enabling kinetic movement and warfare in the region. It was also revealed that OSINT was able to provide insight into on-the-ground operations of mercenary groups and private military companies such as troop movement, communication and transaction methods, and arms, supply, and infrastructure needs. 

Destructive malware wipers were also found to allow visibility over the tools deployed over Ukrainian and Western networks. They are also able to analyse the risk of wipers being used against critical infrastructure systems in countries allied to Ukraine. 

Flashpoint’s report also found that Russia’s DDoS hacktivist collective conducted distributed cyber attacks on entities supportive of Ukraine. Mentions of Killnet in the world’s top publications have likely brought new DDoS customers to the table. 

The report also takes note of the increase in fragmentation of the Russian-speaking cyber underground as a rivalry has emerged between two leading competitors. Media coverage of the war has also been used as material for open-source investigations of the placement, activities, and identities of invading troops, marking the data as crucial evidence in future court proceedings on war crimes. 

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For over a decade, Flashpoint has been a critical partner to global security and intelligence teams worldwide who leverage Flashpoint’s intelligence to identify risks and stop threats for cyber threat intelligence (CTI), vulnerability management, fraud, and physical security teams. 

Flashpoint’s intelligence is derived from publicly available information, chat services, social media and message platforms, foreign-language forums, criminal marketplaces, paste sites, and illicit communities across the internet, among other valuable sources. 

The report on open-source inteigence was written by members of Flashpoint’s Intelligence Team, whose collective expertise encompasses everything from Russian-language cybercrime to the politics and culture of Russia and eastern Europe. 

Download the report for more information.