Following Operation Epic Fury, regional kinetic operations have transitioned into direct, persistent threats against commercial shipping, energy infrastructure, and critical supply chains.

The Flashpoint Threat Intelligence Brief: Middle East cuts through headline noise to deliver tactical, ground-level intelligence for government agencies, corporate security leads, and global logistics teams—turning Flashpoint’s primary source intelligence into proactive risk mitigation.

Here is what your security operations team needs to track this week.

Operational SITREP: Executive Summary

Between October 16 and October 22, Ansarallah (the Houthi movement) expanded its operations against Yemeni government forces, striking the Al-Alam training center in Shabwa governorate with three ballistic missiles on October 19. Local officials reported at least 53 people killed and more than 200 wounded. Houthi forces also reportedly advanced into western Taiz city and claimed additional attacks against Saudi-aligned forces.

The United Kingdom announced it would deploy Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets, an A400M transport aircraft, and military advisers to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s defenses against Houthi missile and drone attacks. The deployment comes as Saudi authorities continue responding to strikes against aviation infrastructure and other targets.

Inside Iran, reports of renewed US military strikes against Iranian facilities remained disputed. Iranian sources alleged attacks on the Kenarak naval base and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) anti-ship missile unit in Sirik, although a US official rejected the Kenarak account and neither incident has been independently confirmed. Iran also placed border forces on maximum alert, conducted ballistic missile launches, and reinforced preparations for potential renewed hostilities.

Regional tensions extended into Iraq’s Kurdistan region, where Iranian ballistic missiles and drones struck Kurdish opposition positions near Erbil on October 21. Iraq began closing its border crossings with Iran the same day, following Pakistan’s closure of its second crossing earlier in the reporting period.

Maritime attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz and waters off Saudi Arabia, with UKMTO reporting a tanker damaged by unknown projectiles northeast of Jubail.

In the cyber domain, Iranian authorities issued binding directives to cut domestic access to the international internet if another war begins. Separately, the Handala Hack Team claimed breaches of Israeli military units and personnel, while new research documented the use of online advertising infrastructure to deliver Candiru spyware.

Kinetic & Maritime Risk

The expansion of Houthi operations into southern Yemen adds another front to an already sustained campaign against Saudi Arabia. Beyond the October 19 strike in Shabwa, Ansarallah forces reportedly advanced into western Taiz, approaching the Old Airport neighborhood and Taiz University. The group also claimed to have downed a Saudi military helicopter near Najran, although Saudi authorities have not confirmed the loss. Meanwhile, the UK’s deployment of RAF Typhoon fighter jets and military advisers will provide additional defensive support to Saudi Arabia while increasing the number of Western military assets exposed to Houthi attacks.

Preparations for potential renewed hostilities between Iran and Israel also intensified. Iran’s reported “Code 100” maximum border alert coincided with ballistic missile activity near Urmia and an Israeli long-range strike exercise involving dozens of fighter jets and reported US aerial refueling support. Iranian sources separately alleged US strikes against military facilities at Kenarak and Sirik, although neither incident has been independently confirmed and a US official disputed the Kenarak account. Together, these developments point to heightened military readiness, even as the timing and likelihood of renewed large-scale operations remain uncertain.

Iran’s strikes against Kurdish opposition positions near Erbil introduce additional security concerns for organizations operating in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The attacks followed Iranian statements concerning the potential expulsion or transfer of Kurdish opposition members from Iraq, while the closure of border crossings by Iraq and Pakistan further complicates overland movement and commercial logistics.

At sea, the threat extends beyond the Strait of Hormuz to waters off Saudi Arabia. UKMTO reported a tanker damaged by unknown projectiles northeast of Jubail, while separate reporting identified another tanker struck in the Red Sea. Iranian claims of additional incidents, including a purported mine strike in the Strait of Hormuz, remain unverified. The continued attacks across multiple maritime corridors complicate transit planning for commercial shipping and energy operators.

Cyber and Hybrid Risk

New research from Citizen Lab and another research group identified how Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech used a capability known as AdFection to track individuals and deliver Candiru spyware through ordinary online advertisements. The operation reportedly used advertising infrastructure spanning more than 120,000 websites and 75,000 applications, with targeted devices potentially compromised simply by loading a malicious advertisement. Targets included dozens of Al Jazeera journalists, while the advertisements also reached networks associated with the UN, NATO, the International Criminal Court, and the Pentagon.

The Handala Hack Team also claimed new compromises of Israeli military entities, including a media-monitoring and analysis center it associated with Unit 8200 and the commander of the IDF’s Yahalam combat engineering unit. The group published more than 500 purportedly classified documents and tens of thousands of alleged internal messages, attributing its access in part to sensitive operational information stored on personal devices. These claims have not been independently verified.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities issued binding directives requiring domestic access to the international internet to be cut immediately if another war begins. The order raises the prospect of significant communications disruptions for businesses and personnel operating inside Iran. A Ukrainian intelligence assessment also reported cooperation between Russian and Iranian hacking groups targeting Israeli infrastructure, while Iranian opposition activists warned of a suspicious Telegram account impersonating Israeli military intelligence to solicit personal information and documents.

Recommended Risk Posture and Protective Controls

Organizations with personnel, facilities, or operations exposed to the conflict should reassess physical security, travel arrangements, maritime operations, and cyber defenses.

Cyber Defense

• Reduce exposure to malicious advertising: Review browser and network-level ad blocking, mobile device security, and spyware response procedures, particularly for journalists, government personnel, and other high-risk individuals.
• Prepare for hack-and-leak activity: Organizations with Israeli government or defense ties should review incident-response and communications plans and reinforce policies against storing sensitive operational information on unmanaged personal devices.
• Establish contingency communications: Organizations with staff, contractors, or partners in Iran should prepare alternate communication and check-in procedures that do not rely on international internet connectivity.
• Reinforce impersonation awareness: Personnel interacting with Iranian civil-society or diaspora communities should verify the identities of accounts claiming intelligence affiliations before sharing sensitive information.

Physical and Operational Defense

• Maintain heightened maritime security: Monitor UKMTO advisories and review transit risks in the Strait of Hormuz, waters near Jubail, and the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia.
• Review Saudi Arabia travel and facility security: Confirm flight availability, maintain alternate travel arrangements, and review shelter procedures amid continued missile and drone activity.
• Reassess operations near Erbil and regional border crossings: Review proximity to Iranian Kurdish opposition facilities, update emergency plans, and account for disruptions associated with Iraqi and Pakistani border closures.
• Review security at Western-linked facilities: Organizations associated with US or allied government operations should assess physical security and incident-reporting procedures in light of Iranian statements identifying Western political and infrastructure targets as potential objectives in renewed hostilities.

Strategic Outlook: Operational Forecast

Over the next 48–72 hours, Ansarallah is likely to sustain missile and drone pressure on Saudi cities and infrastructure while continuing operations against Yemeni government forces in Taiz, Shabwa, and Aden. The deployment of RAF Typhoon aircraft strengthens Saudi air defenses but also places additional UK personnel and equipment within range of potential Houthi attacks.

Iran’s maximum border alert, ballistic missile activity, and preparations for communications restrictions indicate heightened readiness for a possible resumption of large-scale hostilities. Israel’s recent long-range strike exercise reinforces concerns about further escalation, although renewed US-Israeli military action remains uncertain. Iranian strikes near Erbil and the closure of Iraqi and Pakistani border crossings also raise the possibility of further disruption to regional security and logistics.

Commercial shipping is likely to remain exposed to attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways, while competing claims about responsibility will continue complicating incident assessments. In the cyber domain, Handala may release additional material it claims to have obtained from Israeli military sources, and intelligence collection, impersonation activity, and competing information narratives are likely to persist alongside physical threats.

Enhance Threat Intelligence Using Flashpoint

As the conflict continues to affect military operations, commercial shipping, regional infrastructure, and digital communications, security teams need timely intelligence to assess emerging risks and protect their organizations.

Flashpoint combines primary-source monitoring, open-source intelligence, and geospatial analysis to help organizations identify developing threats, assess operational exposure, and make informed security decisions.

Request a demo to learn how Flashpoint supports physical security intelligence, threat monitoring, and operational risk assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Flashpoint Physical Threat Intelligence Brief?

The Flashpoint Physical Threat Intelligence Brief: Middle East is a recurring threat intelligence update that translates raw primary-source open-source intelligence (OSINT) and geospatial data into actionable physical security analysis. It focuses on kinetic conflict developments, standoff weapon capabilities, maritime corridor security, and critical infrastructure risks across the Middle East.

How does Flashpoint gather physical security intelligence for the Middle East?

Flashpoint Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) gathers data by combining global open-source intelligence (OSINT), geolocated social media signals, satellite imagery, and primary-source threat monitoring. The platform uses AI-driven natural language processing and geospatial mapping to track kinetic developments, weapon strike radiuses, and physical security threats in real time.

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The Flashpoint Threat Intelligence Brief: Middle East

Flashpoint’s weekly analysis tracks shifting kinetic and cyber threat radiuses, geopolitical disruptions, and provides critical operational forecasts for the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Following Operation Epic Fury, regional kinetic operations have transitioned into direct, persistent threats against commercial shipping, energy infrastructure, and critical supply chains.

The Flashpoint Threat Intelligence Brief: Middle East cuts through headline noise to deliver tactical, ground-level intelligence for government agencies, corporate security leads, and global logistics teams—turning Flashpoint’s primary source intelligence into proactive risk mitigation.

Here is what your security operations team needs to track this week.

Operational SITREP: Executive Summary

Between September 25 and October 1, 2026, the Middle East conflict continued to expand geographically beyond the Gulf theater while diplomatic efforts stalled. Iranian intelligence activity reached European soil with the disruption of an alleged plot against a UK air base hosting US B-1 bombers, while US military forces completed their full withdrawal from Iraq.

In the Strait of Hormuz, IRGC-affiliated media claimed a massive anti-shipping campaign targeting 19 vessels over two days, though US officials disputed that any ships were struck during that window. On the diplomatic front, President Trump rejected Tehran’s seven-day proposal to reopen the strait in exchange for lifting the US naval blockade, signaling that renewed large-scale bombing of Iran after the November midterm elections remains possible.

In the digital domain, hacktivist collectives stepped up campaign activity under #OpIsrael and #OpUSA, and they have claimed to have compromised dozens of internet-exposed US CCTV systems and signaled imminent targeting of industrial control (SCADA) systems.

Kinetic and Maritime Risk

The physical conflict’s operational footprint has expanded into European staging locations. British police arrested five individuals near RAF Fairford over an alleged Iranian intelligence-backed plot to attack US B-1 bombers using vehicles laden with explosives. UK officials later said evidence indicated the possible linking of Iranian state actors to the attempt. In the Gulf, officials disclosed that eight US Marines sustained injuries—including possible traumatic brain injuries and smoke inhalation—during the September 14 Iranian strike on a US-contracted vessel.

In maritime chokepoints, conflict dynamics remain highly volatile. While IRGC-affiliated sources claimed 19 ships were targeted by anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones near Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas, US officials disputed these numbers. Meanwhile, along the Red Sea, Ansarallah forces asserted control over key islands and the port of Mokha, prompting French naval escorts to shepherd commercial vessels through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent weeks. Concurrently, US diplomatic pressure left roughly 20 empty Iranian oil tankers stranded off Sri Lanka running short of fuel or resupply.

Cyber and Hybrid Risk

Adversary operations across the cyber domain have shifted toward open-source reconnaissance, surveillance, and industrial control system (ICS) targeting.

Within the last week, a threat actor group published coordinates for an Israeli Air Force squadron and Field Intelligence site, alongside conducting Layer 7 DDoS attacks against US and Israeli targets. In parallel, Iranian state-aligned news outlets claimed cyberattacks had disrupted US-bound oil tankers and domestic refineries, while UAE authorities warned that attacks on port infrastructure were paired with cyber intrusions into connected industrial control systems.

Recommended Risk Posture and Protective Controls

To mitigate exposure across physical, maritime, and digital vectors, security operations leads should implement the following directive controls:

1. Tighten Perimeter Screening at European Installations: Facilities hosting US personnel or military assets across Europe should immediately review vehicle-screening protocols and reporting channels following the RAF Fairford plot.
2. Remove Exposed CCTV Portals & Segment SCADA/OT Networks: Industrial, energy, and logistics operators must take camera management interfaces off the public internet and enforce strict air-gapping/segmentation between IT networks and operational technology (OT/SCADA) environments.
3. Hardening Web Infrastructure Against Layer 7 DDoS: Organizations managing US or Israeli-facing web properties should activate origin-IP protections, Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), and aggressive rate-limiting against TLS-renegotiation and Layer 7 flooding tactics.
4. Reassess Non-Military Personnel Security in Iraq: Following the complete exit of US forces, commercial, diplomatic, and contractor entities in Iraq must update security postures to reflect the absence of co-located military quick-reaction forces.
5. Mitigate Doxxed Facility Exposure: Facilities linked to regional defense or security operations should review physical access controls and perimeter security, assuming published coordinate data is actively circulating among threat actors.

Strategic Outlook: Operational Forecast

The trajectory over the next 48 to 72 hours points to continued friction as diplomatic negotiations remain stalled. With Washington rejecting Iran’s seven-day proposal and signaling potential post-midterm strike campaigns, Iranian forces are likely to maintain high-profile messaging and anti-shipping operations in the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate blockade-breaking capabilities.

In Europe, further disclosures regarding Iranian intelligence activity against Western staging bases remain probable. In the cyber domain, security teams should prepare for opportunistic probing against exposed SCADA and ICS interfaces, alongside continued low-impact hacktivist DDoS campaigns under #OpIsrael and #OpUSA.

Enhance Threat Intelligence Using Flashpoint

As hybrid threats unfold across the Middle East, passive monitoring is no longer enough to protect assets, personnel, and maritime operations. Rapidly shifting threat radiuses require security operations centers to operate on real-time, primary-source intelligence rather than delayed headline news.

Request a demo to see how Flashpoint equips government agencies, corporate security leads, and global logistics teams with real-time geolocated threat data, primary-source monitoring, and early-warning intelligence. By turning complex regional dynamics into clear, actionable risk indicators, Flashpoint empowers your team to harden defensive postures and mitigate hybrid threats before impact.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Flashpoint Physical Threat Intelligence Brief?

The Flashpoint Physical Threat Intelligence Brief: Middle East is a recurring threat intelligence update that translates raw primary-source open-source intelligence (OSINT) and geospatial data into actionable physical security analysis. It focuses on kinetic conflict developments, standoff weapon capabilities, maritime corridor security, and critical infrastructure risks across the Middle East.

How does Flashpoint gather physical security intelligence for the Middle East?

Flashpoint Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) gathers data by combining global open-source intelligence (OSINT), geolocated social media signals, satellite imagery, and primary-source threat monitoring. The platform uses AI-driven natural language processing and geospatial mapping to track kinetic developments, weapon strike radiuses, and physical security threats in real time.

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How Natural Language Search Powers Rapid Physical Security Intelligence

A look at how natural language processing makes searching and refining results in Echosec simpler.

When physical threats manifest in the real world, every minute counts. Whether tasked with Executive Protection, securing critical infrastructure, or monitoring live events, security teams face a constant challenge: turning massive volumes of noisy online chatter into rapid, actionable insight.

For traditional workflows, surfacing relevant situational awareness required complex Boolean query construction, exhaustive lists of regional keywords, and constant tweaking of syntax. But when an operational threat is unfolding, troubleshooting search logic is the least of your priorities.

In a recent live session, Flashpoint’s Alanah Crocker, Head of the Flashpoint Training Academy, demonstrated a major evolution in Flashpoint’s physical security intelligence capabilities: Natural Language Search and AI-driven Search Planning.

Real-World Impact: Minutes Can Save Lives

When it comes to protecting people and infrastructure, security teams need to know what is happening around them. This involves pulling from mainstream social networks, fringe spaces, regional platforms, and illicit chat channels. By layering in geospatial enrichment and analyst-led finished intelligence, organizations gain the insights they need to function in high-stakes environments.

In this live session Flashpoint showed how analysts no longer need to spend time manually building complex syntax trees. Instead, using Flashpoint’s Physical Security Intelligence, analysts can simply describe what they want to discover in plain language.

• “Recent arson attacks against factories in North America”
• “Traffic disruptions in Central London near VIP transit routes”
• “Situational awareness and security chatter around BC Place Stadium”

With this update, analysts no longer need to spend time manually building complex syntax trees. Here’s what an updated workflow looks like using Flashpoint PSI:

1. Plain Language Prompting: Type your operational question or intelligence focus area into the search bar using everyday language.
2. Automated Search Plan Generation: Flashpoint Ignite instantly analyzes current online chatter, identifies relevant regional keywords, assigns date parameters, and applies precise geospatial boundaries.
3. Human-in-the-Loop Review: Review the proposed search plan, tailor keywords, adjust date ranges, or modify the boundary before execution.
4. Rapid Execution & AI Summarization: Execute the query to receive curated results from global sources alongside an executive summary of key takeaways and sentiment.

How Natural Language Search Accelerates Physical Security Triage and OSINT Workflows

By integrating AI-driven search planning directly into Flashpoint PSI, Flashpoint fundamentally changes how security teams move from initial inquiry to tactical triage. When facing unfamiliar threat vectors, analysts need to eliminate the cold start, so that they are not spending needless time guessing local slangs, hashtags, or regional terms to query. Flashpoint’s natural language processing automates this pre-research phase by synthesizing live open-source chatter to surface active jargon and keywords automatically.

Spatial context is equally seamless. Instead of manually looking up street intersections or plotting coordinates on a map, analysts can simply mention a landmark or venue in plain text. Flashpoint PSI understands the geographical intent, automatically constructing precise spatial geofences around the physical asset, event, or VIP travel routes.

Once populated, intelligence gathering becomes a dynamic conversation rather than a static reporting exercise. Analysts can interrogate their data in real-time, asking Flashpoint to isolate video uploads, filter for explicit threats, or hone in on specific operational themes throughout this workflow—all while ensuring the analyst remains firmly in control throughout the entire workflow.

Protect Critical Assets Using Flashpoint

Want to see for yourself how plain-language prompts can build rich, multi-source intelligence workflows? Request a demo, or check out our Product Update page to explore how AI-driven search planning and relevance ranking accelerates OSINT investigations.

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Data Center Physical Security: Mitigating FPV Drone Threats

In this post, we explore how shifting online sentiment and low-cost First-Person View (FPV) technology are creating an unprecedented airborne threat vector for critical data center infrastructure.

Data centers have become a driving force in the modern digital economy—powering cloud services, global enterprise operations, and the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI). However, due to growing negative public discourse, data centers are facing a new physical threat vector: low-cost, payload-capable drones.

According to Flashpoint research, shifting public sentiment surrounding AI development, combined with the extreme accessibility of First-Person View (FPV) drone technology, is creating an unprecedented hybrid threat to physical critical infrastructure.

Here is what you need to know about this emerging threat landscape and what it means for physical security teams protecting critical assets.

Growing Online Sentiment and Anti-AI Hostility

Organizations tasked with protecting critical data infrastructure need to understand that this growing threat is not developing in a vacuum. Across both clearnet and Deep and Dark Web (DDW) forums, online discussions regarding data center expansion have intensified, with a significant portion bordering on hostility. Key drivers of negative sentiment include:

• Environmental & Local Concerns: Debates over massive energy consumption, water usage, noise, and localized quality-of-life impacts.
• Backlash against AI: Discontent directed at tech companies driving the rapid deployment of AI infrastructure.
• Perceived Regulatory Inaction: Frustration among activists who feel local and state governments are failing to halt or regulate new construction.

While much of the current online chatter currently revolves around organized protests and aspirational threats, Flashpoint analysts note a troubling uptick in rhetoric targeting corporate tech executives and data center infrastructure.

The Evolving Data Center Threat Landscape

Data centers across the United States are seeing a rapid increase in physical and operational threats. Vandalism and property destruction have become common topics in illicit online spaces when discussing data centers and their impact on everyday life. Flashpoint research highlights two primary force multipliers driving this threat:

DIY Drones & Low Barriers to Entry

Historically, kinetic airborne strikes required specialized equipment and advanced training. Today, that barrier to entry has virtually collapsed. Rapid improvements in drone manufacturing have made payload-capable aircraft extraordinarily accessible. In today’s market, an individual can purchase an off-the-shelf system or assemble a customized drone for under $1,000 USD.

Inspiration for these tactics is also readily available; widespread footage of FPV drones operating in conflict zones like Ukraine has demonstrated to online audiences how easily and effectively low-cost aircrafts can be weaponized. Threat actors view this as a high-yield investment, especially given the capability to deploy multiple drones in quick succession.

Protests as Cover for Physical Operations

Organized protests to stop data center development remain prevalent, and large crowds can easily overwhelm contracted security personnel, diminishing the effectiveness of a response to an aerial threat. A malicious actor could use a protest at a data center as cover to cause physical damage to the facility while security resources are spread thin. For example, on July 19, 2026, activists threw balloons filled with acetic acid at a data center construction site in Amsterdam. In its aftermath, Flashpoint analysts captured individuals online discussing the use of drones to deliver similar payloads.

Regulatory and Defense Measure Challenges

Current federal regulations limit the ability to effectively deter or stop an incoming drone threat because the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classifies drones as aircraft. Therefore, organizations specializing in the physical security of data centers will likely need to increase their operational capabilities and advise companies on potential hardening to deter attacks.

Traditional foot patrols and monitoring perimeter access control points will be insufficient in mitigating overhead threats. The majority of data centers are currently not equipped with the specialized Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) equipment, specialized training, or legal authorization needed to respond effectively to airborne incursions.

Protect Critical Infrastructure Using Flashpoint

Defending against aerial incursions requires moving from reactive security to proactive, intelligence-led physical protection. Physical security teams cannot afford to rely solely on ground-level surveillance when threat actors are leveraging open-source hardware and coordinating online.

Flashpoint Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) equips security teams and executive protection units with real-time visibility into emerging physical threats before they reach your perimeter:

• Early Warning Indicator Tracking: Monitor chatter across mainstream social platforms, fringe networks, and illicit DDW forums to identify probe attempts or the targeting of specific data center facilities and executives.
• Geospatial Threat Mapping: Overlay real-time intelligence onto physical assets using customizable geofencing to detect active incidents, protest activity, and drone-related discussions near sensitive sites.
• Actionable Counter-UAS Insights: Receive finished intelligence and analyst support to benchmark threat actor TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), enabling your organization to harden physical structures and justify operational investments.

To learn more about how Flashpoint helps safeguard critical infrastructure, executives, and high-value assets against physical and cyber threats, request a demo today.

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Beyond Cyber: How CTI Teams Are Solving Converged Threat Use Cases

In this post we explain how cyber threat intelligence teams are being expected to take on physical risk, how tradecraft overlaps, and how Flashpoint bridges the gap.

For years, the mandate of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) teams has been narrow and well understood: track cyber threat actors, monitor for indicators of compromise, and defend the network. However, that mandate is widening. In today’s interconnected threat landscape, more CTI teams are being tasked with physical security, geopolitical and protective intelligence. Whether that is monitoring and securing executive travel, a facility, or an event, data shows that this new informal expansion is becoming an industry-wide shift.

What the Data Says About Cyber-Physical Security Convergence

The SANS 2026 CTI Survey affirms that CTI programs are being asked to cover more ground, including physical and geographical risk, without a proportional increase in headcount. Survey findings additionally emphasize that the risks CTI teams navigate increasingly span cyber, physical, and geopolitical domains simultaneously, rather than staying contained to the network.

Industry research confirms this shift from every angle:

• ASIS International: The security standards body developed formal Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) guidance specifically to address how organizations struggle to unify physical and cyber risk into a single program with shared visibility.
• 2026 Physical Security Trends: Market analysis consistently identifies cyber-physical convergence and unified security operations as mainstream mandates rather than fringe concepts.
• International Security Journal: Analysis highlights a fundamental shift from reactive to proactive security, driven by the reality that digital and physical systems are now so closely linked that a compromise on one side rarely stays contained.

Taken together, the picture is consistent across independent sources: intelligence teams are being pulled toward physical and human risk, and most organizations are still early in closing the gap between that mission and the tooling built to support it.

Why Physical Security is a Natural Extension

It might seem like a jump from tracking ransomware to monitoring executive travel risk, but the underlying methodology is similar. Both rely on:

1. Situational awareness: Understanding the context around an event, whether digital or physical.
2. Data aggregation: Bringing together disparate sources into a coherent picture.
3. Predictive analysis: Identifying indicators of risk before they become incidents.

CTI analysts are already well positioned to bridge this gap. When an executive’s safety or a physical location’s security is at risk, the earliest warning signs are frequently digital via social media sentiment, localized chatter, and open-source discussions. Treating physical security as an adjacent mission means pointing skills a team already has at a new question, rather than starting net-new.

The Strategic Advantage: Breaking Down Operational Silos

Bringing these missions together has a practical benefit beyond the workload—it prevents security silos where digital and physical intelligence teams operate in isolation. When the same team that monitors cyber threats also informs physical security decisions, the organization achieves a more complete view of risk, reducing the chance that threats fall between the gaps of two disconnected functions.

Extending CTI to Physical Security with Flashpoint

Facing this convergence head-on doesn’t require a new platform, a new vendor evaluation, or creating a new discipline. Organizations leveraging Flashpoint Ignite already have the foundation needed to seamlessly extend their visibility into physical and geopolitical threat landscapes.

Using both Flashpoint Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) and Flashpoint Physical Security Intelligence (PSI), security teams can answer two essential questions: “what is this threat actor doing” and “what is happening right now around this specific person or place.” Both draw on much of the same underlying data and OSINT tradecraft, so extending into physical security only requires a change in Intelligence Requirements, not mastery of new systems or tools.

With Flashpoint PSI, organizations gain real-time access to mainstream sources where conversations about fast-moving events tend to surface first, plus a geospatial layer that maps that activity to a specific place. Analysts can also draw boundaries around geographic locations to monitor mentions of an executive within that area, or observe a venue on event day, seeing relevant activity as it surfaces. All of this can be accomplished using plain language, removing the need to learn secondary query syntax or lengthy manual processes to get started.

Navigating the Future of Converged Intelligence

The distinction between cyber and physical intelligence will likely keep blurring and Flashpoint is helping security teams on the ground level integrate these two functions. CTI teams that take on physical security as part of their mission shouldn’t be expected to abandon their core discipline. Instead, they should be given the workflows to apply it to a wider set of questions, using tools built to extend rather than replace the way they already work.

See how Flashpoint supports converged cyber and physical missions from a single platform. Request a demo to see what this could look like for your team.

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Demystifying The Com and Nihilistic Violent Extremism: What You Need To Know

In our latest webinar, we explore the rise of Nihilistic Violent Extremism and unpack the digital-to-physical threat landscape of The Com.

Most threat intelligence frameworks were built around clear, recognizable motives—advanced persistent threats seeking intelligence, financially motivated ransomware syndicates, or ideological extremists pursuing political or religious goals. However, security practitioners and physical security teams are facing a vastly different and highly volatile new vector on the threat landscape: Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE).

Operating across surface web platforms, niche gaming servers, and encrypted messaging channels, NVE actors seamlessly blend traditional cybercrime, physical violence, real-world property destruction, and severe digital extortion. 

In a recent Flashpoint webinar, our analysts took a deep dive into this complex digital threat, fully breaking down the inner mechanics of NVE, its warning indicators, and how cross-functional security teams can proactively monitor and mitigate these dangerous digital-to-physical threats.

Here are the core takeaways from our on-demand webinar that organizations need to understand.

What is Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE)?

Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) defines criminal conduct driven by a deep misanthropy and a desire to trigger societal collapse through random acts of chaos, psychological cruelty, and violence. While casual observers might dismiss these activities as extreme “internet trolling” or adolescent angst, Flashpoint recognizes NVE as a digitized, accelerated evolution of long-standing extremist and occult philosophies.

NVE draws heavily from the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), a paramilitary philosophy originally established in the United Kingdom. Unlike traditional movements seeking political control, O9A advocates for the total destruction of modern civilization to force a return to social darwinism.

How NVE Transitioned from Ideological Literature to Gamified Online Terror

The transition of reclusive occult literature into digital networks followed a deliberate path of gamification. Threat actors stripped away the theological texts, replacing them with fast-paced, highly visual media designed to engage younger audiences on gaming platforms and encrypted messaging apps.

These repackaged materials were then adopted by the various groups within The Com, such as 764 and other scavenger cults. By wrapping graphic violence and extremist symbology in internet humor, these groups lower a recruit’s psychological defenses, accelerating their desensitization and drawing them rapidly into higher-harm activities.

Key Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) of NVE

NVE networks represent a primary example of digital-to-physical convergence, where virtual harassment directly manifests as physical security risks. For NVE actors, violence that remains private is considered wasted effort—because their focus is on generating public fear, breaking taboos, and winning peer status polls, publicity is an operational requirement.

Recorded acts of violence serve as the primary currency across all three pillars of “The Com”. To build status, gain access to private channels, or enforce extortion, threat actors rely on a distinct set of operational tactics to create a societal environment of fear and discord, elaborated on in our expert webinar.

The Demographic Realities and Accessibility of NVE Groups

A critical takeaway from the webinar was the demographic profile and accessibility of NVE networks, with participants—both perpetrators and victims—being overwhelmingly young, typically ranging from ages 11 to 22, with a high concentration of juveniles. Additionally, because extreme coercion and abuse are normalized in these spaces, victims are frequently pressured into becoming enforcers against others as a condition to cease their own victimization.

Because of this young demographic, most NVE actors do not rely solely on Tor hidden services. Instead, they recruit, coordinate, and broadcast activities across mainstream social media, open messaging apps, and popular online gaming platforms.

Protect Against NVE Risk Using Flashpoint

Tracking a highly decentralized threat ecosystem where groups form, rename, and dissolve within hours requires specialized, multi-disciplinary intelligence capabilities. Flashpoint provides enterprise security teams, physical safety leads, and CTI analysts with the visibility required to identify and mitigate NVE activity.

To explore the complete webinar discussion, which includes deeper analyst breakdowns of threat actor activity, behavioral indicators, and enterprise mitigation strategies, watch the on-demand recording today.

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America250 Fourth of July Threat Assessment

In this post we break down the intersecting cyber risks, physical security strains, and operational challenges shaping the security landscape for the historic Semiquincentennial celebrations.

As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary this Fourth of July, the convergence of historic national celebrations, sprawling public events, and simultaneous high-profile sports tournaments is creating an exceptionally complex threat landscape. The multiyear national initiative “America250,” features over 1,200 synchronized grassroots gatherings under the “America’s Block Party” umbrella, with flagship events taking place in Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles.

Key Takeaways

While public sentiment surrounding America250 remains broadly positive, Flashpoint analysts have assessed the physical, cyber, and operational threat vectors that organizations, security teams, and municipalities must navigate during this high-visibility holiday weekend.

America250 Threats & Security Challenges:

1. Distributed Physical & Infrastructure Strain: Massive tourism influxes will collide with ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Houston and Philadelphia on July 4, putting historic operational pressure on metropolitan transit grids and soft targets.
2. Elevated Iconicity and “City of Concern” Status: Although no specific, credible plots have been confirmed, the National Mall events in Washington, DC have received their first-ever National Special Security Event (NSSE) designation. Meanwhile, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has officially designated Philadelphia a “city of concern” due to the volume of synchronized events.
3. Ideological Protest Dynamics: Activist groups are organizing a significant anti-authoritarian march in Philadelphia. While expected to be peaceful, open-source chatter indicates a portion of attendees plan to exercise their license to carry firearms.
4. Disruption & Cyber Threat Vectors: Cyber threat groups, ransomware operators, and hacktivists are expected to attempt to exploit thin holiday IT staffing. Threat vectors range from mass public-transit ticketing fraud to high-consequence digital hoaxes involving rogue cellular infrastructure.

Physical Threat Vectors

Transportation and Infrastructure

Flashpoint assesses that “lone wolf” actors motivated by various ideological grievances, including those inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), pose the most likely threat of disruptions to transportation infrastructure during America250 events. This threat is likely to apply to all major transport hubs during the event, including Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Attendees can expect to see an increased police and military presence near transit hubs at major events.

Event Threats

While no specific credible threats targeting America250 events have been identified, the July 4th events taking place on the National Mall in Washington DC, have been given a National Special Security Event designation, which is typically reserved for events deemed potential targets for terrorism or other criminal activity. This is the first time such a designation has been given to July 4th celebrations on the National Mall.

Memos released by the National Counterterrorism Center to security agencies also identified Philadelphia as a “city of concern” regarding potential targets for terror attacks due to the number and scale of events taking place on July 4th. Law enforcement officials have indicated that while no specific threats have been identified, increased security measures will be in place throughout the city.

Planned Protest

The Fayetteville Resistance Coalition, alongside Veterans Against Fascism, and the Women’s March is organizing an anti-authoritatian protest march in Philadelphia on July 4th—being the largest mobilization of military veterans in decades.

Flashpoint has identified chatter indicating that march attendees may be armed. However, Flashpoint has not identified any calls for violence at this protest and deem that actions will likely remain peaceful. Despite this, arrests may be possible if attendees gather in unauthorized areas or engage in civil disobedience.

Cyber Threat Vectors

Ransomware and Operational Technology (OT) Disruptions

Financially motivated threat actors frequently deploy ransomware during major US holiday weekends when corporate and municipal IT security staffing is historically thin.

Flashpoint analysts assess that attackers could target automated ticketing systems, regional rail signaling, and digital municipal transit grids. Disruption to public transit during the high-density travel window surrounding major events could induce logistical gridlock. Secondary targets include municipal water treatment facilities, local power grids, and emergency response (911) dispatch systems in primary host cities.

Hactivism

With hundreds of thousands of spectators gathering at prominent national landmarks, hacktivist groups seeking political leverage or global media visibility pose an elevated threat to public messaging infrastructure.

Compromising the digital billboards, stadium screens, or viewing decks used for America250 events presents an attractive vector for defacement. Adversaries may attempt to display political propaganda, anti-war messaging, or explicit content to captive, high-density crowds.

Event App Vulnerabilities and Data Harvesting

The decentralized nature of “America’s Block Party,” featuring over 1,200 grassroots events managed via localized apps, introduces software supply chain vulnerabilities.

Cybercriminals may target the ticketing infrastructure of high-profile, restricted-access events. Phishing campaigns, credential stuffing, or application programming interface (API) vulnerabilities within event-specific mobile applications could result in mass ticketing fraud, legitimate attendees being locked out, or crowd-control issues at venue gates.

Additionally, malicious actors frequently deploy spoofed public Wi-Fi networks around high-density tourist hubs to harvest sensitive personal data, financial credentials, and biometric profiles from unsuspecting attendees.

Protect People Using Flashpoint

To ensure attendee safety, safeguard operations, and protect public-facing brands, Flashpoint recommends implementing the following proactive measures:

1. Secure Public-Facing and Display Infrastructure: Implement strict access controls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and offline fail-safes for all internet-connected digital signage, stadium screens, and public notification systems to prevent hacktivist defacements.
2. Audit Event Applications and Mobile Endpoints: Conduct rigorous vulnerability scans on event-specific APIs and ticket validation platforms. Advise personnel and contractors against posting photographs of official credentials, badges, or operational passes on public social media channels.
3. Establish Out-of-Band Incident Response Protocols: Prepare alternative communication channels and verified public-address messaging to immediately counter potential rogue emergency broadcasts, digital hoaxes, or localized telecom disruptions that could cause public panic.
4. Monitor High-Risk Overlap Zones: Cross-reference physical security deployment schedules in cities like Philadelphia where World Cup traffic, official America250 parades, and armed protest routes intersect near major transit networks.

Ensure your security team has full visibility into the cyber and physical threat vectors shaping this historic holiday weekend. Request a demo and see how Flashpoint equips organizations with the intelligence needed to detect, analyze, and mitigate emerging risks.

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How China’s “Walled Garden” is Redefining the Cyber Threat Landscape

In our latest webinar, Flashpoint unpacks the architecture of the Chinese threat actor cyber ecosystem—a parallel offensive stack fueled by government mandates and commercialized hacker-for-hire industry.

For years, the global cybersecurity community has operated under the assumption that technical information was a matter of public record. Security research has always been openly discussed and shared through a culture of global transparency. Today, that reality has fundamentally shifted. Flashpoint is witnessing a growing opacity—a “Walled Garden”—around Chinese data. As a result, the competence of Chinese threat actors and APTs has reached an industrialized scale.

In Flashpoint’s recent on-demand webinar, “Mapping the Adversary: Inside the Chinese Pentesting Ecosystem,” our analysts explain how China’s state policies surrounding zero-day vulnerability research have effectively shut out the cyber communities that once provided a window into Chinese tradecraft. However, they haven’t disappeared. Rather, they have been absorbed by the state to develop a mature, self-sustaining offensive stack capable of targeting global infrastructure.

Understanding the Walled Garden: The Shift from Disclosure to Nationalization

The “Walled Garden” is a direct result of a Chinese regulatory turning point in 2021: the Regulations on the Management of Security Vulnerabilities (RMSV). While the gradual walling off of China’s data is the cumulative result of years of implementing regulatory and policy strategies, the 2021 RMSV marks a critical turning point that effectively nationalized China’s vulnerability research capabilities. Under the RMSV, any individual or organization in China that discovers a new flaw must report it to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) within 48 hours. Crucially, researchers are prohibited from sharing technical details with third parties—especially foreign entities—or selling them before a patch is issued.

It is important to note that this mandate is not limited to Chinese-based software or hardware; it applies to any vulnerability discovered, as long as the discoverer is a Chinese-based organization or national. This effectively treats software vulnerabilities as a national strategic resource for China. By centralizing this data, the Chinese government ensures it has an early window into zero-day exploits before the global defensive community. 

For defenders, this means that by the time a vulnerability is public, there is a high probability it has already been analyzed and potentially weaponized within China’s state-aligned apparatus.

The Indigenous Kill Chain: Reconnaissance Beyond Shodan

Flashpoint analysts have observed that within this Walled Garden, traditional Western reconnaissance tools are losing their effectiveness. Chinese threat actors are utilizing an indigenous suite of cyberspace search engines that create a dangerous information asymmetry, allowing them to peer at defender infrastructure while shielding their own domestic base from Western scrutiny.

While Shodan remains the go-to resource for security teams, Flashpoint has seen Chinese threat actors favor three IoT search engines that offer them a massive home-field advantage:

• FOFA: Specializes in deep fingerprinting for middleware and Chinese-specific signatures, often indexing dorks for new vulnerabilities weeks before they appear in the West.
• Zoomai: Built for high-speed automation, offering APIs that integrate with AI systems to move from discovery to verified target in minutes.
• 360 Quake: Provides granular, real-time mapping through a CLI with an AI engine for complex asset portraits.

In the full session, we demonstrate exactly how Chinese operators use these tools to fuse reconnaissance and exploitation into a single, automated step—a capability most Western EDRs aren’t yet tuned to detect.

Building a State-Aligned Offensive Stack

Leveraging their knowledge of vulnerabilities and zero-day exploits, the illicit Chinese ecosystem is building tools designed to dismantle the specific technologies that power global corporate data centers and business hubs.

In the webinar, our analysts explain purpose-built cyber weapons designed to hunt VMware vCenter servers that support one-click shell uploads via vulnerabilities like Log4Shell. Beyond the initial exploit, Flashpoint highlights the rising use of Behinder (Ice Scorpion)—a sophisticated web shell management tool. Behinder has become a staple for Chinese operators because it encrypts command-and-control (C2) traffic, allowing attackers to evade conventional inspection and deep packet analytics.

Strengthen Your Defenses Against the Chinese Offensive Stack with Flashpoint

By understanding this “Walled Garden” architecture, defenders can move beyond generic signatures and begin to hunt for the specific TTPs—such as high-entropy C2 traffic and proprietary Chinese scanning patterns—that define the modern Chinese threat actor.

How can Flashpoint help? Flashpoint’s cyber threat intelligence platform cuts through the generic feed overload and delivers unrivaled primary-source data, AI-powered analysis, and expert human context.

Watch the on-demand webinar to learn more, or request a demo today.

Request a demo today.

October 7: Hamas attacks Israel

In the midst of the Israel-Hamas War, which erupted with a surprising and devastating attack on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 Israelis, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the dynamics of this complex conflict extend beyond the actions of Hamas alone. While Hamas took the lead in launching the initial assault, there is evidence, outlined in this article, that numerous other militant and terrorist groups worked in concert with Hamas, which continues to shape the trajectory of the ongoing conflict.

Based on frontline reportage, open-source intelligence, including social media and message platforms, and Flashpoint collections surrounding the events on October 7, we explore the roles and actions of additional militant and terrorist factions, shedding light on their collective impact in the evolving Israel-Hamas War. 

We will update this article as the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East develops.

Militant and Terrorist Groups Involved in October 7 Attack on Israel

Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام)

Operation Al-Aqsa Tufan (Flood) involved coordinated attacks from the Gaza Strip into bordering areas in Israel on October 7, coinciding with a major Jewish holiday and marking the beginning of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The attack included a rocket barrage of thousands of missiles, vehicle-transported incursions into Israeli territory, kidnappings, including at a music festival, and significant civilian casualties. It has been described as one of the bloodiest days in Israel’s history and the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust. Founded in the late 1980s, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the militant wing of the terrorist organization Hamas. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Israel, and the European Union. 

The First 72 Hours of the Israel-Hamas War: Hamas and PIJ Activity on Telegram

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (الجهاد الإسلامي الفلسطيني)

As we previously reported, Hamas and PIJ communicate often with followers via Telegram. On the day after the October 7 attacks, PIJ, in one of its main channels, posted that “the elite of Al-Quds Brigades is entering the border to support al-Qassam Brigades fighters (Hamas) and supply them with weapons.” It has also been reported that PIJ took part in the October 7 attacks alongside Hamas.

On October 17, a rocket hit the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinian civilians. In a statement, Israeli Defense Forces said that “[Palestinian] Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza.” PIJ has denied the allegation in a statement, reportedly calling it “false and baseless.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a Palestinian terrorist organization that is designated by several countries, including the United States, Israel, and the European Union. It was founded in the late 1970s with the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state and has carried out attacks against Israel.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (كتائب شهداء الأقصى)

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is a Palestinian militant organization affiliated with Fatah, a major Palestinian political party, that has carried out attacks and other activities against Israel. One of the key players in Palestinian politics today, Al-Aqsa Martyrs brigade was founded in the late 1950s and has historically been associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The group was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US Department of State in 2002.

Above: Screengrab from October 7 showing a video of a man wearing a headband with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade emblem. The video, posted in an official Al-Aqsa Martys Brigade Telegram channel, shows the man speaking alongside a gravely injured Israeli soldier. The message hashtag translates to “#Scenes_of_enemy_soldiers_capture” (Image: Flashpoint)

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (الجبهة الديمقراطية لتحرير فلسطين)

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) is a Palestinian political and militant organization founded in 1969, known for its left-wing and Marxist ideologies. It has historically aimed for the liberation of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state through both militaristic and political means. While a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), it has not been as prominent as other Palestinian factions like Fatah or Hamas in recent years.

Above: Pictures posted by an official Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine showing armed militants reportedly inside Israeli territory on October 7. (Image: Flashpoint)

Palestinian Mujahideen Movement (حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينيين)

The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement is a Palestinian militant organization that emerged in the early 1970s with the goal of resisting Israeli occupation and achieving Palestinian self-determination through various armed activities and operations against Israeli forces. However, it is not as widely recognized or prominent as Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Above: Screengrab of an official Palestinian Mujahideen Movement channel showing an image of Dr. Asaad Abu Sharia, the General of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, congratulating the “heroes…who stormed the positions and settlements of [Israel].”

We have shared this Telegram message in lieu of the many messages shared in the same channel the day prior, October 7, that showed graphically violent images of what appears to be soldiers in IDF uniforms. (Image: Flashpoint)

Popular Resistance Committees (لجان المقاومة الشعبية)

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), whose military wing is referred to as Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades (ألوية الناصر صلاح الدين), are a coalition of various Palestinian factions and armed groups in the Gaza Strip. They were formed in the early 2000s during the Second Intifada, a period of intense Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The PRC includes members from different political and militant backgrounds and has carried out attacks against Israel. While not as prominent as terrorist organizations like Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the PRC has played a role in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as evidenced by the events of October 7, 2023.

Above: Screengrab of communications within the official Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades Telegram channel from October 7, alongside photos of allegedly confiscated military equipment and IDs belonging to captured Israeli soldiers. (Image: Flashpoint)

Those who could join the fight

Lebanese Hezbollah (حزب الله اللبناني)

Though not directly involved in the October 7 attacks, Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged assaults in connection with the ongoing Israel-Hamas War since October 8.

The Israel-Hamas War: Insights Through an Intelligence Lens

Also known as Hezbollah, Lebanese Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist political and militant organization based in Lebanon. It was founded in the early 1980s with support from Iran, following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Hezbollah’s primary goal is to resist Israel and promote Shiite interests in Lebanon and the wider region. The group was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US Department of State in 1997, the same year as Hamas and PIJ.

Lions’ Den (عرين الأسود)

Saraya al-Quds Military spokesman Abu Hamza has called for Lions’ Den and Jenin Brigade, another Palestinian militant group, to join the fight.

The Lions’ Den is a Palestinian militant group in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, formed in August 2022. Comprising members from various Palestinian militant and terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, along with disaffected Fatah members, it resonates with some young Palestinians frustrated by the Israeli occupation, settlements, settler violence, and the perceived ineffectiveness of the Palestinian Authority. They have engaged in various West Bank attacks, funded in part by Hamas.

These profiles represent the most meaningful actors on the digital and physical frontlines of the Israel-Hamas War at the moment. Flashpoint has seen an expansion of participants as the conflict unfolds and expands into new physical and digital theaters. We will therefore update this article as the situation continues to develop.

Telegram: A crucial modern warfare channel

Telegram, with its 700 million-plus-strong user base, has evolved into a pivotal communication hub for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Its robust privacy and encryption protocols safeguard communications while also providing a covert operational space for militant groups and cybercriminals. The platform’s role in open-source intelligence (OSINT) is vital, offering real-time insights into unfolding global events, such as the ongoing military conflict between Hamas and Israel, and becoming an essential tool for intelligence professionals navigating the multifaceted landscape of contemporary warfare. Organizations with regional interests should perceive Telegram as a crucial asset in understanding their risk apertures and navigating through conflict complexities.

In the context of recent global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Hamas-Israel conflict, platforms like Telegram have demonstrated their significance by providing real-time updates, documenting potential war crimes, and offering a platform for anti-war narratives amidst governmental censorship. Both scenarios underscore Telegram’s evolving role in modern warfare, influencing narratives and strategies, and providing a digital battlefield for organizations and intelligence professionals to navigate and anticipate conflict dynamics.

The Israel-Hamas War: Insights Through an Intelligence Lens

October 7: Surprise Hamas attack

This digital battlefield, while shaping the narratives and strategies in contemporary conflicts, abruptly collided with reality on October 7, when the virtual orchestrations of Hamas transformed into a tangible, devastating surprise attack on Israel.

Hamas militants launched an unexpected, devastating attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in hundreds of casualties and numerous hostages. Over 2,000 rockets were fired into Israel, causing significant casualties and prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on Hamas, mobilizing the military and reserves. The assault, occurring on the fiftieth anniversary of the 1973 Egypt and Syria attack and during the Jewish holiday, Shemini Atzeret, took Israel by surprise. 

Reports state that the attack resulted in hundreds dead and more than 500 injuries, the kidnappings of Israeli soldiers, and vehicle takeovers, while Hezbollah celebrated the assault. The US Embassy in Jerusalem issued an alert and initiated shelter-in-place protocols for its personnel. Militants breached the Gaza-Israel barrier using various methods, and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif urged Palestinians and Arabs to join the operation, raising fears of a wider conflict.

At around 5:30 a.m. UTC, Hamas posted in one of its main Telegram channels, that the Commander-in-Chief of Al-Qassam Brigades announced the beginning of Hamas’s Al-Aqsa Tufan (Flood) and the firing of over 5,000 rockets aimed at Israel. Shortly thereafter, reports show that air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem around 6:30 a.m. local time, signaling an attack and instructing citizens to take cover.

Hamas Telegram post announcing the start of Al-Aqsa Tufan (Image: Flashpoint)

This message represents one of 1,145 messages sent over Hamas’s main Telegram channel on October 7. For context, the day prior, 373 messages were sent over the same channels, showing more than a 3X spike in chatter from October 6.

October 8: Violence escalates

The conflict intensifies with continued assaults and counter-assaults from both Israel and Hamas. The death toll rises sharply on both sides, and the situation garners international attention and condemnation. Hamas issues a threat to execute Israeli hostages, prompting further international outrage. The U.S. confirms that several American citizens have been killed in the attacks and expresses its unwavering support for Israel. Various nations and international leaders continue to condemn the violence and express solidarity with Israel.

On October 8, Palestinian Islamic Jihad posted that “the elite of Al-Quds Brigades is entering the border to support Al-Qassam Brigades fighters and supply them with weapons.” (Image: Flashpoint)

On Sunday, 1,129 posts were sent between PIJ and its followers on Telegram, with messages such as above sharing updates of the assault.

October 9: Broadening battlefields

The conflict takes a new turn as rockets are fired from Lebanon toward Israel, prompting Israeli forces to retaliate against Lebanese territories. The U.S. updates the number of American citizens killed in the attacks and acknowledges that Americans are among those taken hostage by Hamas. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant orders a “complete siege” on Gaza and promises a robust and unrestrained response to the ongoing attacks, vowing to eliminate any threats against Israel.

Telegram post from a major Hamas channel linking to a video of Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, in which he signals further violence to Israelis, particularly hostages (Image: Flashpoint).

Throughout Monday, Telegram activity from Hamas and PIJ fell by almost half compared to the day prior. Within the first 72 hours of the Israeli-Hamas War, Flashpoint observed a total of 5,472 Telegram posts shared by both Hamas and PIJ across their main channels.

Putin Vs. Prigozhin

The once-cordial relationship between Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, commonly known as “Putin’s chef,” has soured completely, marking one of the most compelling storylines in Russia’s now 16-month-long invasion of Ukraine. This particular conflict, however, played out in Russia on June 23 and lasted a scintillating ~36 hours, ending in a schism whose implications continue to reverberate across the world, especially in Russia.

Social media and messaging platforms like Telegram continues to play a key role in helping individuals and organizations alike understand events, rumors, and ideas as they unfolded, often in real time. As we describe in this article, and as we highlighted in our popular report on the role of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in the Russia-Ukraine War, organizations are rightfully viewing OSINT as a key element of their intelligence and security operations and leveraging it to understand organizational risk as it relates to the cyber, physical, and informational battlefields of this war.

Let’s zoom in on two crucial days—June 23 and June 24—of the conflict between Putin and Prigozhin and examine the importance of OSINT in understanding the events, then and now.

June 23: Wagner Accuses MOD of Missile Strike, Potential Military Coup Brews

On June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the paramilitary company Wagner Group, accused Russia’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its leader, Sergei Shoigu, of conducting a missile strike on his mercenaries. Prigozhin claimed that the strike resulted in numerous fatalities. He characterized the MOD as “evil” and called for those responsible to be held accountable. It was unclear whether this move should be classified as a coup, insurrection, mutiny, or hardline bargaining tactic at the time.

In retaliation, Prigozhin has appeared to openly advocate for armed resistance against the MOD, adding fuel to an already tense stand-off. Prigozhin warned that “the next move will be ours,” and that those who are responsible for the deaths of the Wagner troops killed today, as well as the deaths of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be “punished” and “justice” will be “returned,” both to Russia’s armed forces and all of Russia. The MOD has rejected these accusations, claiming that they “do not correspond to reality” and labeling them as an “informational provocation.”

Round 2: #Shoigu hits back.

"All the video frames distributed on social networks on behalf of Yevgeny #Prigozhin about the alleged 'strike by the Russian Defense Ministry on the rear camps of the PMC Wagner” do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation. pic.twitter.com/pBIPdFEdLc

— Jason Corcoran (@jason_corcoran) June 23, 2023

The current events, particularly the Wagner Group turning on Putin, can be traced back to the devastating fighting at Bakhmut, where the Wagner Group suffered heavy losses. This battle resulted in significant costs and losses for Russia.

June 24: Prigozhin’s March To Moscow

On June 24, Prigozhin announced that Wagner Group, the private military company (PMC) he leads, would cease its march on Moscow, ending what has been widely regarded as an armed insurrection and potential coup attempt targeting Russia’s military and government leadership.

In an interesting twist, Belarusian President Lukashenko stepped in, providing a means for Wagner to continue operating in a “legal” manner. This intervention prompted the move of Wagner Group and Prigozhin to Belarus. This is particularly noteworthy as PMCs are technically illegal under Article 359 of the 1996 Russian Criminal Code. As a result of the negotiations, the sides agreed that a “bloodbath” on Russian territory should be averted and de-escalatory steps should be taken. Prigozhin agreed that Wagner would halt its advance on Moscow, which Prigozhin claims Wagner got within 200 kilometers of, and turn back to “go in the opposite direction to [their] field camps.” In return, Wagner personnel would be granted “security guarantees.” 

Prigozhin claims that Wagner had not spilled “a single drop of blood of our fighters” since the start of their march on Russia the day prior. However, Prigozhin claims that Russia’s military had attempted to fire at the PMC during their march, reportedly downing at least one and potentially multiple Russian military helicopters. There are also reports of a fire at a fuel depot in Voronezh, which may have been hit by a Russian helicopter.

Wagner troops seized control of multiple military and administrative buildings in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don early on Saturday morning and had since reportedly reached Voronezh, which lies 500 kilometers north of the city and on the way to Moscow. On June 24, Russian media reported that Wagner was preparing to leave Rostov-on-Don.

Since then, the Kremlin has said that Prigozhin would not have to face charges in Russia, but he has been dubbed a “traitor” by Putin. As of this publishing, Prigozhin is allegedly in Belarus, according to the country’s President, Lukashenko, who brokered the deal on Prigozhin behalf.

Concluding thoughts

In today’s dynamic geopolitical climate, staying ahead of the curve necessitates more than just monitoring mainstream media. Open-source intelligence collections have emerged as a game-changing tool for keeping abreast of the latest events in Ukraine and Russia, which can help various organizations and sectors sift through vast amounts of information, quickly filter out the noise, and deliver the most salient insights in real-time. The recent events in Russia showcase the value of this intelligence resource in offering a multifaceted perspective on ground realities. 

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Introduction to OSINT

A modern security professional’s job is becoming more and more complex, and it’s no surprise considering the influx of unexpected places where threats are beginning to surface. In order to gain the upper hand, your security strategy must include a diverse means of gathering intelligence, both for a predictive and reactive approach. In an era where content is being created at an exponential rate – 90% of the world’s data was created in the last 2 years alone – the future of security must be intelligence-led.

A major source of intelligence that cannot be overlooked is the vast amount of publicly available information (PAI) being produced by consumers, hackers, newsmakers, and bloggers every single day. Globally, almost every person and organization is communicating across multiple platforms and networks, as well as handling personal and corporate needs virtually – such as shopping, travel planning, and data management. Finding like-minded communities and audiences online is the goal; however, wherever you have people congregating, especially if there is potential for monetary gain, the risk of nefarious behavior rises. This has created an increased need for open-source intelligence (OSINT) and OSINT platforms.

What is OSINT?

Open-source intelligence, or OSINT, refers to the process of gathering information from public, legal data sources to serve a specific function. Some open sources might include social media, blogs, news, and the dark web. 

The concept of OSINT very basically works like this:

Public information exists → data is gathered → information is analyzed for intelligence. 

The purpose of seeking information from public data varies on the type of insights you wish to gather. Many industries and professionals look to open sources to uncover workplace security threats, protect executives, prevent loss, manage assets, gauge brand sentiment, and monitor conversations for creating marketing strategies. Intelligence professionals use certain types of OSINT and OSINT platforms for investigations, prosecution, evidence gathering, and events monitoring. 

What is finished intelligence?

Finished intelligence, or ‘cooked’ data, is raw data that has undergone processing to gain context and become actionable. The collection, processing, and analysis of raw data are foundational steps along the threat intelligence lifecycle.

In other words, raw data is unaltered from its original source. This could look like a network’s traffic data logs, dark web discussions, or even public social media posts. 

Finished intelligence would look like a report summarizing the context interpreted from relevant raw data points and suggested security responses.

Finished intelligence services allow organizations to skip the raw data collection and analysis steps, which are time-consuming and require skilled analysts. Those steps are instead supported by automation and machine learning capabilities, and/or third-party analyst teams. 

The main goal of finished intelligence is to operationalize the process so organizations can respond faster to active threats and invest less time and resources in gathering and contextualizing large volumes of raw data. The result is a finished intelligence report that the client can immediately act on. While expensive, finished intelligence solutions can be ideal for private sector organizations seeking a “comprehensive” security solution.

What can OSINT tools do?

OSINT tools can identify and separate entities within a data set (parsing), and organize and display those entities by category to glean meaning and avoid redundancies (normalizing). OSINT tools can also index raw data so that it’s quickly and easily searchable and filtered for relevancy.

Access to publicly available online data is often free, but the true value lies in what can be analyzed and extracted from the data.  Organizations using OSINT for security and intelligence require the ability to detect key information quickly and efficiently. They can do so by using robust OSINT tools.

The vast amount of online data is overwhelming to sift through, and with the complex ways today’s online threat actors conduct themselves, the vulnerabilities to organizations are becoming more elusive. Open-source data, when gathered, enriched, and monitored effectively, can be extremely valuable for predicting, analyzing, and reviewing incidents at every stage of their occurrence. But where to begin? 

Suggested Reading: The Five Phases of the Threat Intelligence Lifecycle

Where to look for publicly available information

Where you look for information depends on what you want to find. Running a Google search is a simple form of OSINT, but when you are responsible for the safety and security of a particular person, place, or asset, you need to be casting a keen eye over multiple sources. Criminal behavior tends to be hidden, and it is unlikely a surface web search will take you there. 

What threats can OSINT help with?

The emergence of intelligence-led security is a direct result of the varied and growing range of on-the-ground threats that are being plotted, planned, discussed, and executed online. As our physical and digital realities are becoming more and more interlaced, individuals and organizations are creating more informational weaknesses and thereby more opportunities for an ever-widening range of attacks and other threats to occur.

These threats include:

• Hacking
• Information leaks
• Extremist activity
• Geopolitical threats
• Fraud 
• Violent attacks
• Disinformation campaigns

OSINT tools can be invaluable for handling internal processes such as:

• Brand protection
• Workplace and facilities safety issues
• Real-time event monitoring
• Executive protection and force protection
• Natural disasters and incident response

OSINT for enterprise security

Global enterprises are operating in the age of digital transformation. This has plenty of benefits for companies, helping improve customer experience, productivity, and resource management. But along with these benefits, wider technology adoption also means increasing opportunities for compromise.

This stands true for almost any industry with an online presence—including finance, retail, and transportation, which make up some of the world’s most cyber-targeted industries. Digital transformation also affects physical security and cyber-enabled threats as criminals adopt anonymized online communication channels. What do these risks look like?

Cyber threats

• Data breaches targeting corporate and customer information
• Phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and other forms of impersonation
• Malware and ransomware attacks
• Credential stuffing
• SIM swapping
• Distributed denial of services (DDoS) attacks
• Zero-day exploits

Cyber-enabled threats

• Credit card fraud
• Money laundering
• Counterfeiting
• Theft and gift card fraud
• Workplace harassment
• Insider threats

Physical security threats

• VIP-targeted doxxing and harassment
• Travel risk management
• Event monitoring
• Crises like terrorism and natural disasters

OSINT tools support enterprise security teams in identifying and responding to these risks. Social media networks provide real-time updates from on-the-ground threats near executives and other physical assets like offices, employees, and corporate events. Paste sites, forums, and marketplaces across the deep and dark web often publish the earliest indicators of data breaches and executive-targeted doxxing. Anonymized discussions on these covert sites help security teams identify fraud, insider threats, and cyber-attack strategies directly from the source.

Combined with other risk management feeds and tools, OSINT platforms provide security teams with more context and earlier risk indicators so they can respond faster and avoid blind spots. 

But many organizations face challenges in responding to risk quickly and effectively, especially as more enterprise teams—from marketing to IT and compliance—require OSINT.

According to a 2021 report by Forrester Research, 42% of corporate decision-makers are currently improvising when it comes to risk management. Almost 70% claim that risk information is siloed across their departments and only 29% are confident in their risk management technologies. 

What do security teams need from OSINT platforms to address information gaps?

• Broad data coverage

There are thousands of different online sources out there, from social media platforms to the deep and dark web, where relevant risk data is hiding. Many risk management tools focus only on one data source type—such as social media or the dark web—to help security teams find relevant risk information. A more ideal solution combines a variety of these sources within one platform so teams don’t have to juggle more tools than are necessary. This can just lead to information gaps and slower responses.

• Simplicity and usability

Not everyone who needs access to online risk data has a technical background. OSINT solutions should be accessible to anyone in an organization without the click-heavy processes and complex interfaces that are typical of IT-based risk management software. Personnel should be able to easily and quickly separate the most pertinent data and view it in a digestible format.

• Speed-to-information

OSINT tools that prioritize real-time data allow security teams to get critical insights faster. This gives organizations a much better chance of avoiding or mitigating threats from all angles.

• Collaboration features

For risks where cross-department visibility is necessary, OSINT solutions should offer permission settings and collaboration features that allow teams to view each other’s activities or tackle a security threat together when there is overlap.

Integrations

Many global organizations already have a suite of risk management tools. OSINT solutions should be able to easily integrate with third-party solutions, whether they include a UI or funnel data directly into existing systems.

OSINT for national security: What national security initiatives does OSINT support?

• Counter-terrorism and counter extremism

Foreign jihadist groups like the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are no longer solely responsible for the threat of terrorism and extremism. Domestic extremist movements based on conspiracy theories, right-wing ideology, and discriminatory worldviews now also pose serious national security threats. Public online spaces are leveraged similarly for both extremist types, playing a huge role in spreading propaganda, recruitment, financing, and sometimes planning. This data helps governments understand how extremist groups operate so they can then predict public safety risks and protect citizens and assets from domestic and global terrorism.

• Addressing misinformation and disinformation 

National security threats have expanded to include online influence campaigns, which can compromise democratic processes and lead to real-world security risks. Disinformation (which is engineered to deliberately deceive) and misinformation (false information that is not necessarily spread with malicious intent) is widely prevalent online. Monitoring online spaces is crucial for tracking disinformation campaigns so governments can mitigate their impact and keep the public safer and more informed.

• Cybersecurity

Breaching government data is financially and politically lucrative for lone-wolf attackers, organized hacking groups, and nation-state actors. Sophisticated technologies are available to a greater diversity of adversaries than ever before. Persistent online threats include breaches and cyber espionage targeting classified data, network attacks disrupting critical infrastructure, and botnets enabling malware attacks and information warfare. Paste sites, discussion forums, and marketplaces on the deep and dark web often provide early indicators of breaches, malware, and attack techniques. Combining this open-source data with other cybersecurity feeds helps intelligence teams more confidently predict, mitigate, and investigate cyber compromise.

• Transportation security

National transportation networks, including airports, seaports, and highways, make up a country’s critical infrastructure. When this infrastructure is compromised, governments and security teams need to stay prepared and alerted to prevent damage to assets, data, and human life. Online data plays a crucial role in providing the intelligence required for informed transportation security planning and incident response. For intelligence teams, social media networks and deep and dark web content can:

• Provide the earliest alerts for location-based threats near airports, seaports, and other transportation hubs
• Inform security teams about tactics used to bypass security systems or commit attacks, particularly at airports
• Monitor for threats directly targeted at the security/public sector organizations themselves
• Stay alert to vulnerable data that could compromise a transportation network’s digital or physical security

• Addressing national and global crises

When a national crisis occurs, governments must make timely, informed decisions to protect their data, assets, and citizens. As we’ve seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, adversaries co-opt real-world events in their strategies. Whether it’s a natural disaster, public health crisis, or terrorist attack, intelligence teams need to know how and where the crisis is occurring and how to allocate response resources. Online spaces are often the earliest sources of information to provide this context—for example, social media users often post public updates and images from the scene of a crisis. Aligning this data with other feeds can help provide a faster and more informed response.

Intelligence professionals require specialized software to collect this information and generate actionable intelligence. Commercial OSINT tools help intelligence teams gather open-source data more efficiently and align with a team’s unique requirements. Because intelligence teams often work with their own interfaces and tooling, they often require direct access to raw data that can be plugged into their existing systems. 

How do OSINT platforms address data overload?

The intelligence community is increasingly challenged by growing volumes of online data available for collection, processing, analysis, and triage. The western world is also facing a data analyst shortage coupled with a growing demand for military AI. As a result, data scientists in the public sector tend to handle more complex tasks, developing tooling and data sets to support lower-level analysts on intuitive platforms.

Intelligence teams are also challenged by a lack of access to some emerging online sources. For example, fringe networks (like alt-tech platforms, deep and dark web imageboards and paste sites, etc.) do not offer their own API or are unavailable through commercial API providers. To gather data from these sources, analysts are often required to create dummy accounts, make group requests, and navigate networks manually. This requires a significant amount of HUMINT resources that could be allocated to other areas of the intelligence cycle.

To address these challenges, OSINT tools must:

• Improve data coverage by providing access to relevant sources, including fringe web spaces, that are not commonly available through commercial, off-the-shelf vendors.
• Leverage machine learning capabilities. AI is a major priority for governments, helping analysts process and contextualize intelligence more efficiently.

• Be intuitive and user-friendly for lower-level intelligence analysts, providing more efficient workflows and better speed-to-information.

Types of OSINT tools

There are many types of OSINT tools on the market, both free and paid. The truth is, no single OSINT tool is 100% effective as a standalone solution. Rather, combining a variety of solutions is the best practice. Remember that the best OSINT tools will have a geographical element, providing a digital window to view data by location. The tools you choose will depend on the specific needs of your organization. Here are some types of OSINT tools to consider:

Social media monitoring

Our OSINT Platform allows organizations to use online information to gain situational awareness on the ground. Security teams utilize predictive intelligence and real-time crisis management, as well as brand monitoring and post-incident review.

Deep and dark web monitoring

The Flashpoint product suite includes targeted, automated collection systems that capture information from the deep and dark web, enabling your security and intelligence teams to identify and prioritize relevant threats and leverage their intelligence to act quickly. 

Email hacks

Have I Been Pwned? is a free online resource to check if your email address has been put at risk due to a data breach.

Twitter monitoring

TweetDeck allows you to view multiple timelines in one user view. TweetDeck allows a user to create specific filters such as specific activity and geographical locations. 

Internet archives

Wayback Machine is an internet archive tool, like a library, of historical data. This tool allows the user to search the history of archived websites, metadata, text contents, and TV news captions.

Link analysis

Maltego is a graphical link analysis tool that accelerates and simplifies complex investigations by allowing users to build visualizations and connections between disparate data sets.

Conclusion

Business is happening online, and today’s security strategies need to be informed by the masses of social data being created every day. Gathering, filtering, and analyzing this information requires the advanced capabilities of OSINT platforms.

Both amateur and professional criminals are using sophisticated strategies and seemingly innocuous networks to conduct illicit business. More and more media networks are being infiltrated and used outside their intended purposes. Evolving threats require predictive and intelligence-led security strategies. Security teams must gather intelligence from every corner that they can. Open source threat intelligence software is essential for any enterprise using public data sources to inform their decision-making.

Not only can OSINT help protect against hidden intentional attacks such as information leaks, theft, and fraud, but it also has the ability to gain real-time and location-based situational awareness to help protect people at work, at events, institutions, or even the shopping mall. The right OSINT toolkit will give your security and intelligence teams the upper hand.