Cloak and Dagger | An OSINT Podcast

Host MJ Banias sits down with Sapper Lab's Director of Communications, Kennedy Chappell, in this Season 1 wrap-up episode. They walk us through their favourite episodes, what they've learned over this season, and how the show has impacted them. From AI conspiracy theories to tracking child predators, this episode takes you through the behind the scenes moments that truly makes Cloak & Dagger. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.sapperlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music featured in this episode can be found here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Epidemic Sound.

In this special bonus episode, Cloak & Dagger partnered with The Nighttime Podcast to dive into the bizarre story of Karim Baratov, the 22 year old Canadian involved in the Yahoo hack, the largest computer hack in history. Join MJ Banias and Jordan Bonaparte from Nighttime as they discuss this strange tale from the darkest parts of the internet, and then dive into an interview with Baratov himself, as he talks about how he got involved, the hacks themselves, and how he says he accidentally became an asset for Russian intelligence. Credits: Website: https://www.nighttimepodcast.com Original airing: https://www.nighttimepodcast.com/episodes/karim-baratov Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit ⁠⁠www.sapperlabs.com⁠⁠. Music featured in this episode can be found here: ⁠⁠https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution⁠⁠ and Epidemic Sound.

Host MJ Banias heads to Winnipeg to visit the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a non-profit agency dedicated to eliminating child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the internet. From supporting survivors of abuse to scraping the dark web to utilizing intelligence and OSINT techniques, the team at the centre has been responsible for some of the largest purges of CSAM off the internet. Please visit the Canadian Centre for Child Protection by clicking here. If you need to contact the centre's Cybertip team, please click here or visit www.cybertip.ca. A link to the Forbes article mentioned in the show can be found here. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit ⁠⁠⁠www.sapperlabs.com⁠⁠⁠. Music featured in this episode can be found here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution⁠⁠⁠ and Epidemic Sound.

Guest Griffin Glynn recounts a favorite story of how he went about scamming a scammer. From Grabify links, to breach data and social media searches, to a lot of social engineering, hear how the Director of Investigations for the National Child Protection Task Force spends his free time tracking down the people behind those email scams. You can find Griffin here: https://hatless1der.com/⁠  You can also follow him on X (Twitter): ⁠https://twitter.com/hatless1der⁠. Please check out the National Child Protection Task Force by visiting ⁠https://www.ncptf.org/⁠. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit ⁠⁠www.sapperlabs.com⁠⁠. Music featured in this episode can be found here: ⁠⁠https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution⁠⁠ and Epidemic Sound.

2017 saw some of the wildest conspiracy theories, but the most prolific was QAnon. However, as the COVID pandemic swept through the world and with the election of a Democratic president in 2020, Q's followers began to vanish. Joining the show this week is Nick Backovic, an OSINT analyst with Logically AI, and he tells the tale of a mysterious and ghostly figure who turned the QAnon conspiracy into something much more sinister. You can find Nick here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbackovic And here: https://twitter.com/nickbackovic Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at ⁠www.cloakanddagger.blog⁠  Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit ⁠www.sapperlabs.com⁠. Music featured in this episode can be found here: ⁠https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution⁠ and Epidemic Sound.

Looking behind the shadows of Canadian history and shedding light on an overlooked chapter of LGBTQ+ persecution: The LGBT Purge. Joining us this is week is guest host, Kennedy Chappell, and Artur Wilczynski. Artur has more than 30 years in the Canadian public service working on foreign policy, intelligence, security, and defence issues, and is a champion of equity, diversity and inclusion. We discuss the policy that purged LGBT(+) people from the Canadian civil and military service From the 1940s through the 1990s.  Find Artur here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artur-wilczynski-3a033498/ Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured in this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution and Epidemic Sound.

Information is complex. The lines between fact and fiction have become easier to blur as new technologies create wild ecosystems of data. In this episode, Dr. Alicia Wanless from Carnegie’s Partnership for Countering Influence Operations, talks about whether disinformation is something we can even fight, and why it may end up costing us our heads. You can find Alicia's work here: https://lageneralista.com/ Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog  Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured in this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution and Epidemic Sound.

In 2022, Sapper Labs Group was established by bringing together Sapper Labs Inc., Sapper Labs Cyber Solutions, and Dark River Systems. Behind this consolidation was the immense power and potential of Hunchly, originally developed by Justin and Clare Seitz and the team at Dark River Systems Inc. in 2016. Today we chat with Chief Innovation Officer Justin Seitz and CEO Al Dillon about this powerful merger. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog  Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured in this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution 

In 2021, Newfoundland’s hospitals were hit by a massive Hive ransomware attack that halted them. We sit down with cyber policy expert Alexander Rudolph to talk about persistent engagement and how cybersecurity policy needs to be reshaped into a proactive and holistic system. You can find Alexander here: https://linktr.ee/alexfrudolph Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology.  The views expressed by guests on the podcast are not necessarily those of Cloak & Dagger, nor Sapper Labs Group. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog  Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured in this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution 

In the last episode with Marcus Kolga, we touched on a global investigation into the doping of Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. In this bonus episode, Sapper Labs’ Chief Intelligence Officer, Dave McMahon, discusses his personal work in elite sports, Canadian intelligence, and how the Olympics is more than just a sporting event, but a complex game of tradecraft.  You can find Dave here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyberspacestrategist/ Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog  Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com Music featured in this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution 

Public dissent in Russia is dangerous. Complex disinformation strategies, arrests, and assassinations are popular with the Kremlin. The activists who oppose these norms are risking their freedom and their lives. Founder of DisinfoWatch, Marcus Kolga, joins us on this episode to talk about the arrest of his friend, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and how Russian disinformation spreads around the globe. You can find Marcus’ work here: https://disinfowatch.org/ Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog  Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured in this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution 

It's become increasingly difficult to determine the difference between fact and fiction. From the mouth of a sailor, a strange tale of a mystery island in the South China Sea—true or just another conspiracy from the dark tides of the internet? Author and artist Tim Boucher joins the show to discuss this mystery, and whether truth itself is just another illusion. Images mentioned in the episode can be seen here: https://imgur.com/a/HzNfC1F   You can find Tim’s work here: https://www.timboucher.ca/ Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

Steven Carrillo shot and killed two law officers in 2020 in an attempt to incite a second American Civil War. Journalist, lawyer, and OSINT instructor Gisela Pérez de Acha joins the show to talk about her work in uncovering his motives, his role in the Boogaloo movement, and how open-source intelligence can track down networks of extremists who use the internet to radicalize others. You can find Gisela’s story discussed in this episode here:  https://www.propublica.org/article/i-felt-hate-more-than-anything-how-an-active-duty-airman-tried-to-start-a-civil-war You can find Gisela’s website here: https://www.giselaperezdeacha.com/ You can follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/giselilla Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

A collective of hackers from Latin America, Guacamaya, hack into government and corporate servers. Rallying around calls for justice, many people see Guacamaya as a modern day Robin Hood, hacking Sherwood Forest to weaken the rich and empower the poor. Journalist and researcher, AJ Vicens, joins the show to discuss their hacks, the culture they create, and the complicated politics and ethics that surround this merry band of criminals.  You can find the stories discussed in this episode here: https://cyberscoop.com/guacamaya-hacktivist-group-latin-america-interview/ You can find AJ here: ⁠⁠https://github.com/AJVicens/contact_me/blob/master/contact_me.md You can follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJVicens Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

Every tool can be used for good—or evil. A series of leaked documents reveal that some companies sell OSINT tools targeting activists and journalists in an attempt to monitor and track them. Investigative journalist Phineas Rueckert expands on the work he did looking into some of these OSINT firms, and the dark secrets they keep. You can find his work here: ⁠⁠https://phineasjfr.contently.com/ You can follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhineasJFR Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

Host MJ Banias is live at CANSEC, Canada's largest global defence and security trade show. In this episode, we make a coffee run, and chat with Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. We discuss her book, and how we need to examine our national defence system to understand the culture. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at ⁠⁠⁠www.cloakanddagger.blog⁠⁠⁠.Follow us via:LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloak-dagger-by-sapper/⁠⁠⁠ Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/canddbysapper⁠⁠⁠ Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/cloakanddaggerbysapper/⁠⁠⁠ Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

Host MJ Banias is live at CANSEC, Canada's largest global defence and security trade show. In this episode, MJ sits down with Dave McMahon, Chief Intelligence Officer with Sapper Labs Group. They chat about the Sapper Labs difference, and why a diverse team makes a world of difference in the intelligence game. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.cloakanddagger.blog⁠⁠⁠⁠.Follow us via:LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloak-dagger-by-sapper/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/canddbysapper⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/cloakanddaggerbysapper/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

OSINT analysts and investigators often deal with massive piles of data. Similar to a 5000 piece puzzle, all those little tiles poured out on a table seem chaotically overwhelming. In this episode, analyst Ritu Gill dives into how we need to utilize open sources to understand how all those puzzle pieces fit together, and why governments need OSINT to see the whole picture. You can find Ritu's work here: ⁠⁠https://www.osinttechniques.com/⁠ You can follow Ritu on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritugill-osinttechniques/⁠ Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at www.cloakanddagger.blog. Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

Host MJ Banias is live at CANSEC, Canada's largest global defence and security trade show. In this episode, we're stepping into virtual reality with Harold Dumur from OVA. Whether it's learning how to do repairs to an aircraft, train soldiers, or even run OSINT analysis—VR may be the next step in training.. or in reality itself. Dive into the metaverse and see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at ⁠⁠www.cloakanddagger.blog⁠⁠.Follow us via:LinkedIn - ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloak-dagger-by-sapper/⁠⁠ Twitter - ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/canddbysapper⁠⁠ Instagram - ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/cloakanddaggerbysapper/⁠⁠ Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution

Host MJ Banias is live at CANSEC, Canada's largest global defence and security trade show. In this episode, he takes a leap into the world of quantum cryptography with Mike Redding, the CTO of Quantropi. Encryption is what keeps your data secure, but as quantum computers loom on the digital horizon, all that encryption is pretty much useless. Staying ahead of the quantum curve is going to be essential, so how are cryptographers adapting and what can governments do to keep your data safe? Cloak & Dagger is a podcast about OSINT, technology, global conflict, and the practitioners and investigators who work in those trenches. Every two weeks, join host and journalist MJ Banias as he explores the stories that shape the worlds of intelligence, security, and technology. For more content regarding OSINT, cybersecurity, and intelligence, visit our blog at ⁠www.cloakanddagger.blog⁠.Follow us via:LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloak-dagger-by-sapper/⁠ Twitter - ⁠https://twitter.com/canddbysapper⁠ Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/cloakanddaggerbysapper/⁠ Cloak & Dagger is powered by Sapper Labs Group. For more information, visit www.sapperlabs.com. Music featured on this episode can be found here: https://www.cloakanddagger.blog/music-attribution