Virtual Self-Paced 2 Day Class - Social Media & Online Investigations w/ Nighthawk

Students will be introduced to the class material and outline for the two days of instruction. Students will be provided with federal and local resources to help their investigations. Students will be introduced to paid intelligence companies that can provide useful records.

Please download the student files using the download link in this lesson.

To contact the instructor, email training@hi-techinvestigations.com

Students will be shown various browser add-ons and extensions that they can use to help in online investigations. Students will be shown how to add and use browser extensions for Firefox and Google web browsers. Students will be introduced to different social media companies and shown examples of how social media can help capture crimes and suspects.

Snapchat will be discussed in this part. Students will first be given instruction on how to identify a Snapchat account, preserve the account records, and how to send a search warrant to Snap Inc using their Law Enforcement web portal. Search warrant language will be discussed. Different data Snap collects of their customers will be discussed.

Facebook and Instagram will be covered. Students will be shown what type of data Meta Platforms keeps of their customers. Students will be shown how to properly identify a Facebook/Instagram user account, preserved the account, and obtain records via a search warrant using Meta Platforms Law Enforcement web portal. Various free websites will be discussed that can help identify accounts and posts of subjects. Read world examples will be provided.

Other social media platforms to include TikTok, Reddit, X Corp (formerly twitter), Discord, and Kik will be discussed. Information on how to properly identify, preserve, and obtain records from via search warrants will be discussed. Open-source websites to better search and locate evidence from these Social Media companies will also be discussed.

Students will be guided on how to download and setup Google Earth Pro. Students will then be shown how to use Google Earth Pro and how to import a KMZ file to view Snapchat location data that was processed using LeadsOnline Nighthawk. Students will then be given instruction on how to complete the hands-on practical using Snapchat location data.

The Snapchat location practical will be discussed. Students will be shown what location data could have been discovered to show estimated travel and locations for the three suspects. The students will be shown how location pattern analysis can be performed to identify suspects based on their residence and work locations.

Students be introduced to LeadsOnline Nighthawk. Students will be shown how to access their Nighthawk account and how to view active cases. The technical support/help area will be discussed along with preserving and obtaining legal demands in Nighthawk and the LeadsOnline toolbox. Students will be shown what type of data Nighthawk supports. Students will be guided on how to create a case in Nighthawk, create subjects, and how to load social media records.

Students will be instructed on how to make a bookmark in Nighthawk and how to visualize their digital data. Students will be shown how to use the Interaction Network Diagram, Count-By Tool, and Interaction Frequency reports to identify evidence and communication with other Social Media users.

Students will be instructed on how to use the List Tool and SIFT Tool to locate evidence in Social Media data. Students will be shown how to view media files in communication using the SIFT tool. Students will be shown how to use the map to view geolocation data, use measuring tools, and viewing the cell site density.

Students will be instructed on how to use the Word List to locate evidence of crimes. Students will then be shown how to tag located evidence and then later how to view this tagged evidence in the SIFT tool which can be exported and shared. Students will then be given time to complete the Social Media exercise.

The Social Media exercise will be reviewed. Students will be shown evidence that was available to be discovered from the geolocation data and communications. Students will then be shown how to create a storyboard in Nighthawk and a case export.

Students will be instructed on best practices in creating an undercover social media account. Creating profile photos and fake personas will be discussed. Multiple free websites and resources will be provided along with protecting yourself online.

Students will be instructed on techniques to search Google using advanced Google queries. Students will work hands-on using the different advance Google search terms to find information about subjects on the internet. Additional search engines will be discussed.

Students will be introduced to Internet Protocol and how IP addresses can be traced. Static and Dynamic IP address will be discussed along with mobile device IP addresses. Students will be provided with free online websites to identify the Internet Service Provider from an IP address and how to locate a sender IP address from an email header. DNS website searches and wireless network locations will be discussed.

Students will be introduced to the Dark Web and various darknet sites. Students will be shown how to access the Tor Network along with security precautions. Various darknet illegal sites will be discussed.

Students will be instructed on what type of data Lyft and Uber collects of their customers. Students will be instructed on how to obtain this customer data and how to analyze the data. A case example will be discussed on how to forensically map location data from rideshare companies.

Students will be instructed on Open-Source Intelligence Techniques (OSINT). Students will be shown numerous free OSINT websites that can be used to search for anything using the internet. Username searches, EXIF media, video downloaders, geolocation websites, and reverse image searches will be discussed. Students will be provided with ways to conduct searches of themselves to identify personal information on the internet and how to remove their data.

This concludes class. Email the instructor to notify that you have completed watching all videos and have completed the hands-on exercises. A training certificate will be provided along with a 10% off discount code to use for 1 future in-person or virtual Hi-Tech class. Not transferrable to anyone else.