Operational Security (OPSEC)
Definition
The set of practices a threat actor uses to prevent adversaries from identifying them or their infrastructure. In dark web investigations, OPSEC failures by administrators, such as reusing usernames, exposing real IP addresses through misconfigured servers, or posting personal information in clearnet forums, are the most common route to attribution.
Related terms
- Blockchain Analytics
- The use of tools such as Chainalysis, Elliptic, or CipherTrace to trace cryptocurrency fund flows across a public ledger. Because most public...
- Bulletproof Hosting
- Hosting providers, typically in jurisdictions with weak law enforcement cooperation, that explicitly or implicitly ignore takedown requests and abuse complaints. Dark web...
- DC-Cam
- Documentation Center of Cambodia. NGO established in 1995 as a field office of Yale University's Cambodian Genocide Program and became independent in...
- Escrow Wallet
- A cryptocurrency address controlled by the marketplace that holds a buyer's payment until the buyer confirms receipt. Escrow wallets create an auditable...
- EULEX
- European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo. Deployed in 2008; included a forensic component responsible for assisting Kosovo authorities with missing-persons...
- Evidence Contamination by Political Process
- The compromise of forensic evidence through interference by parties with a stake in the investigation's outcome: selective disclosure, substitution of remains, access...
- FAFG
- Fundacion de Antropologia Forense de Guatemala. National forensic anthropology organisation established 1992, carrying out exhumations related to Guatemala's internal armed conflict (1960-1996);...
- Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)
- A bilateral or multilateral treaty under which signatory states agree to assist each other in gathering evidence for criminal investigations. MLATs define...
- OHCHR Field Manual
- The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Field Manual on Human Rights Monitoring. Provides operational guidance for human rights...
- Onion Service
- A Tor-based server reachable only through the Tor network via a .onion address derived from the service's public key. The routing protocol...
Explained in these topics
- Dark Web Marketplaces and Criminal InfrastructureThe set of practices a threat actor uses to prevent adversaries from identifying them or their infrastructure. In dark web investigations, OPSEC failures by ad...
- Working in Conflict and Politically Sensitive ContextsThe set of practices designed to prevent adversaries from obtaining information about team plans, sources, locations, or findings before those findings are sec...