OSINT ON-THE-GO

MOBILE PHONE OPTIMISATION FOR TACTICAL USE

We live in a fast-moving world. Technology is evolving faster than we are. Is all the technology around us causing us to think that time is ticking faster?

Time does indeed seem to have become more precious nowadays. And many people often do say, “I can’t find the time to do it, the days are just passing too fast.”

But think back to not so long ago, especially us “oldies” on the circuit…

A few years back, all discussions relating to close protection were done on forums. The forums had thousands of members. Basically, the whole industry was there, from all over the globe. Now, forums are nearly all out of use, classed as being “old school”, not secure and therefore nearly obsolete. These days, men and women on the circuit have more knowledge about online security and privacy. We all have smartphones that are basically minicomputers with super computing power to match in the palm of our hand. We want easy and safe solutions.

So, in homage to a fast-moving world and little time on your hands, I will make this article precise and concise by giving you 1 CP situation and a few very valuable OSINT tips to get you started.

Situation: Security Advance Party (SAP), aka the “Recce”
Depending on the principal, the budget, the risk/threat, having the luxury of an SAP as part of the EP/CP assignment has become rare in the private security industry. But as an individual bodyguard, you might be tasked with carrying out the overt or covert reconnaissance of routes,
RVPs (rendezvous points), offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, and any other location the principal(s) will go to.

Many principals understand the need to communicate a schedule prior to arrival. However, this is not always the case as some principals can be on a “spur of the moment thing.” 

“Let’s go to this place just after my meeting in 10 minutes as I have another meeting. Please make sure the driver is ready in 10.”

You now have 10 minutes to get to the other side of a capital city to do the recce and get back, which is virtually impossible because it usually takes 25 minutes one-way if traffic is good. There is no way you can do a recce, but with some OSINT knowledge and a smartphone, you have gold in your hands.

Assess the Operation
You need actual and current intelligence. Current means now.

You need to know where you are going, how the street looks, what the door looks like in the building your principal wants to go to

You need to know the state of traffic, if the street is blocked or currently good to go. Again, the state of traffic means live information, not that the road had roadworks 1 week ago.

You need to know if the doors of the building are open or if one needs to call prior to entering, whether there is a code to get in the building, or a specific name on the buzzer to call.

You need to know if there is anything sensitive on that street (Embassies with CCTV, potential high value targets, terrorist targets, history of problems, or if the street will have surveillance detection operatives or police?). This is good to know so that you know what to do once on that street. For instance, do you loiter around standing up in front of the building or would you rather remain covert in the car and avoid any unwanted attention or questions being asked? The last thing you want is for your principal to come out, waiting for you to finish being checked out by local police.

You need to take swift action to prepare for the next location. You don’t have your computer as its too heavy to have on the task. You have only your smartphone which now becomes your primary tactical intelligence tool to ensure smooth running of this CP operation. Just make sure you have a portable smartphone battery charger always on you, even 2, and you can even have another small smartphone in case.

When you think tactical, we always say: 1 is none 2 is one. Things can break, things can get lost. Don’t be left stranded.

TOOLS TO SAVE THE DAY:
ON-THE-GO OSINT

SHOWMYSTREET.COM
To get an aerial view and street view at the same time (this saves time). Simply log on to: https://showmystreet.com Type the address you need to see, and you will get an aerial view and a street view.

See the screenshot on the next page:

Dual view/split screen. You can decide which part is bigger than the other by dragging the middle line.

Get the most up to date map data from 2021.

You can share the location by sending the link to other EP/CP team members.

You can choose satellite view or map view.

Can sometimes get an inside view of some buildings.

As a reference, we’ve used the UK Embassy in Paris, France as an example. You now know where you are going, how the street looks, that it’s a well-guarded street in the embassy area of Paris close to the French presidential palace, with heavy CCTV in the area, and probably more IMSI catchers in the area than you can dream of.

You know you will be able to do the drop-off in front of the embassy, but you also know that with the police presence in the area, there is no way the Principal’s vehicle will be able to remain in front of the embassy.

They will probably ask you how long it will take to get there, so make sure you have 2 apps downloaded on your phone that can give you good live intelligence on the state of traffic.

Other OSINT tools you might use include:
WAZE
GOOGLE MAPS (don’t forget to click on Traffic on the left side to get the live trafic situation)

Using these simple OSINT tools, you now already have some pretty good knowledge and intelligence without having moved from the security vehicle, all in a matter of a few minutes using your smartphone.

You know the area, you know what to do upon arrival, which side to do the drop off on, that’s it’s a one-way street, and where to do the drop off. You know the state of the roads and which route to take, as well as secondary routes. And you know if one of the streets leading to the area is blocked or closed.

All of this is great. It saves the day. You won’t be caught out or red-faced. But you still have a few minutes on your hands as the principal hasn’t come out yet.

So, let’s take it even further. Our brains are powerful tools if we use them well and exploit them to full potential.

Let’s scan the area around the Embassy or across the street from the Embassy.

Doing this, you can scan for places you will be able to sit at for coffee. You can also use OSINT to find out everything you need to know about places in the area, phone numbers, contact details, owners of businesses, people living in the area, and past happenings in the area.

My attention is drawn to 2 shops across from the Embassy. The shop contact details are easily found via a simple Google search. We can then extract a phone number and use it to our advantage.

These types of shops really aren’t flooded with people as they are expensive. So, the person responding to the phone will without a doubt, be delighted to help.

“Hello, I am in Paris on business and would like to come to your shop in a few minutes as I need to buy some presents for my wife. I’m sorry I am in a rush and will be heading to the airport straight after purchasing. Can you tell me how to park in the area as the taxi will have to wait for me? Do you have any parking spaces for clients? As I am very rushed for time, can you tell me if the area is busy right now? And if I will be able to access the area easily and to leave the area without too much traffic? 

She may respond, “Sir it’s not a good time right now there has just been a fire at the end of the street, I can hear the firefighters and people have bunched up, they seem to have put out the fire, but the street is still blocked as the fire trucks are still there.”

What you succeeded in doing was to use Open-Source Intelligence and then you used people you know are in the area with firsthand current and actual knowledge to feed you updated live intelligence. Disaster averted.

BBA Connect App I’d be remiss if I overlooked the Connect app as a key asset for the working protector. In the modern professional CP landscape, tools like the BBA Connect app is fantastic if you are on-the-go, moving around in various cities and countries, without having access to a computer and only have your smartphone to hand.

All you need is a Wifi signal or cellphone network. The app is safe, your device is identified, and you can access it anywhere, anytime.

The power of what is available at our fingertips is astounding these days! On the Connect app, you can access documents that can help you on task, read articles, and keep in touch with fellow industry members whilst travelling. You can also call for some help and manpower if you are on task and need a few more CPOs or security drivers. You can also ask BBA members for any intelligence on the current situation in-country, get past reports, or information on laws and in-country knowledge that you should be aware of. It is an overall amazing resource and tool for working protectors from the BBA.

Now to take these tools even further, how about mapping (aka geofencing) the area that you are going to? And using various tools and techniques to see what is happening there and getting live photos from social media? In the next article, I will go in-depth to cover all things related to geofencing.

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OSINT ON-THE-GO
By: Yoni C

Yoni has written numerous articles for the circuit magazine, he has also contributed writing for « Bodyguard Careers » . He is the founder of Tactical Systems, a French training provider recognized by the French state, the courses provided include Close Protection, Security Driving, Osint, Humint, and more courses that can be seen on the website.

Yoni is an Executive Protection professional and has been in the industry for 21 years, his past roles have included: CP Team Leader, CPO, Surveillance Detection Agent, Surveillance operative/PI, Security Driver. Yoni has also worked on a US DoS project abroad.

He has worked in Africa, the Middle-East, UAE, Monaco, Switzerland, and in most European countries.