As open-source information grows more powerful, and more weaponized, adversaries are increasingly using OSINT to map, target, and exploit critical U.S. technologies and research programs.
This presentation exposes how nation-state collectors, foreign intelligence services, and corporate competitors leverage open sources to identify vulnerabilities across the defense and emerging-tech landscape.
Drawing on real-world counterintelligence insights from defense and federal operations, this session will demonstrate how open data can unintentionally reveal sensitive project linkages, personnel associations, and acquisition pathways. Attendees will learn how to conduct “counter-OSINT” audits of their organizations and themselves personally, identify high-risk exposure points, and implement practical safeguards to reduce their digital attack surface.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how adversaries weaponize OSINT to target defense and innovation ecosystems.
Learn step-by-step methods for mapping and hardening your organization’s open-source footprint.
Gain actionable techniques for counter-OSINT, social media awareness, and digital-signature reduction.
By the end of the session, attendees will be equipped to view OSINT not only as a collection tool, but as a security vulnerability that demands proactive countermeasures.
