Cogs of War The Tech and Tradecraft Behind Open Source Intelligence
Nov 6, 2025
Ryan Curran, Principal Director at ZeroFox with expertise in OSINT and threat intelligence, joins Tucker Moore, VP at Booz Allen Hamilton focusing on AI and security, and Scott Petry, Co-founder of Authentic8 with a history in secure browsing technology. They discuss the intricacies of open-source intelligence, from the evolution of technology-enabled collection to the vital role of human judgment. The trio also dives into the challenges of attribution, the need for robust tools in OSINT operations, and emerging threats like AI-generated disinformation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
OSINT Has Become A Technical Profession
- Open-source intelligence now requires specialized tools, platforms, and tradecraft beyond simple web scraping.
- Modern OSINT blends technology, access, and human judgment to handle scale and risk.
Pivot From SaaS Email To Managed Attribution
- Scott Petry described pivoting his product from commercial browser security to government-managed attribution after government interest.
- That shift led Authenticate to build infrastructure for analysts to access web content without revealing identity.
Appear Normal To Gain Access
- Successful online collection requires appearing normal in target environments and managing technical signatures.
- Analysts must choose between obfuscation and hiding in plain sight depending on the mission.