After having successfully registered to the second, within the SENTER-project developed online-based training program for LEA, more than 75 participants from ten European countries are going to attend the ‘OSINT’ (Open Source Intelligence) training module in Vilnius in April. As in the first ‘Internet Technologies’ training module too, the University of Albstadt-Sigmaringen developed and performs the training using the blended learning concept, a form of learning that combines the advantages of face-to-face events and e-learning. The training lasts two months and the chosen learning concept enables the participants to further their education accompanying the job. In addition to a “Certificate of Attendance”, the participants have the opportunity to pass an additional, voluntary exam to receive an “Academic certification”.

The “Open Source Intelligence” training will provide an overview of the theoretical basics and steps of OSINT in the context of Law Enforcement. In order to be prepared for investigations, in addition to the Internet technologies, the best possible way of protection and anonymity during Internet investigations will be shown to the participants. The focus rests on information and data gathering and collection of different information categories on the Internet with the respective applicable techniques and tools. The possibilities and procedures needed to analyze the collected data to produce proper intelligence will be demonstrated.

The training content was chosen in connection with the results of the training gap analyze, implemented within the SENTER-project in WP4 by the University of Albstadt-Sigmaringen, too. It bases in one hand on a skill matrix – developed for Cybercrime Analyses and Investigation Workforce with the focus on the OSINT topic and the role of the online investigator – and in the other hand on the collected and available OSINT training programs for LEA to which skills and skill-levels have been assigned to.

We are looking forward to a successful OSINT training module in Vilnius.