Show Notes
Léa is an investigator at Graphika, specializing in online investigations, state influence operations, and European extremist groups. She was a known part of the team that exposed Secondary Infection as well as the recent competing Russian and French influence operations in the Central African Republic. Léa holds a dual Master's degree in Geopolitics of the post-Soviet space from the French Institute of Geopolitics and the Russian State University for the Humanities.
In this episode, Léa elaborates on the projects she has done with Graphika, including how she conducts internet mapping and recognizes state operations. She also shares with us the ethics in OSINT investigations with her own redline as an example and digs into the ongoing war in Ukraine and the upcoming French presidential election.
0:00 Welcome!
0:28 Tell us a bit about yourself!
3:58 Does decivilizing or attacking a country have multiple layers?
4:41 Tell us about the internet mapping at Graphika!
15:49 How do you analyse the slide between bots and real people?
17:14 How do you recognize state operation?
28:18 The ethics in OSINT
38:03 How has your job influenced your vision of and relationship with Russia?
40:28 What's your take on the war in Ukraine, disinformation-wise?
45:41 Why did the people focusing on COVID earlier shift quickly to pivot the war?
50:11 Anything to share about the approaching French presidential election?
56:39 Any fears that foreign agents or vicious people will dominate online communities?
1:01:00 Any shoutout you wanted to give?
■ About The Pivot
Brought to you by Maltego, The Pivot deep dives into topics pivoting from information security to the criminal underground. Each episode features interviews with experts from the industry and research fields and explores how they connect the dots.
■ About Maltego
Used by investigators worldwide, Maltego is a graphical link analysis tool that allows users to mine, merge, and map data from OSINT and third-party data integrations for all sorts of investigations—cybersecurity, person of interest, fraud, and more.
The podcast streams free on Spotify. You can also watch it all go down on YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe to our Twitter and LinkedIn to stay on top of our latest updates, tutorials, webinars, and deep dives. For more information about Maltego, visit our website.
More from The Pivot
A passionate professor with recognized expertise in OSINT, Jezer Ferreira has made significant contributions to the field. He was pivotal in the inception of the Cyber Hunter Group, which subsequently led to the founding of the Osintomático Conference, which is the largest OSINT and Social Engineering event in Europe. Recognizing the synergy between OSINT and social engineering, he underscores their combined potential.
Daniel is a seasoned technology and cybersecurity professional who has worked with organizations globally to help protect, detect, and respond to cyber threats. He is active in the UK cyber community, serving on the UK Government Cyber Security Advisory Board. You can usually find him online conducting innovative research and seeking new ways to combat cybercrime.
Jane is a tech entrepreneur, book author, international speaker, and passionate women's change agent. She is the founder of the IN Security Movement and the author of In Security: Why a Failure to Attract and Retain Women in Cybersecurity is Making Us All Less Safe. With more than 25 years of experience in the field, Jane has built her own penetration company and held senior executive roles at information technology organizations.
Kevin Limonier is an expert in geopolitics. He holds the position of an associate professor in Geography and Slavic Studies at the French Institute of Geopolitics (Paris 8 University), serves as the deputy director of GEODE, and is a founding partner of Cassini, a company specializing in cartography and territorial intelligence. Previously, he worked as a lecturer at the Russian State University of Humanities (RGGU, Moscow) for several years.
Henri Beek has more than 13 years of professional experience working in the Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) space. Within his career, he has used OSINT for different types of investigations, ranging from fraud and employment screening to family protection, red teaming and cyber threat intelligence. Henri currently works at a company where he provides OSINT training and consultancy to law enforcement and related entities throughout Europe.