Continuing the Hunt Now that we have satisfied ourselves that this is not a legitimate cryptocurrency mining platform, we can tackle the rest of the investigation objectives set out in the first part of this series:
Is legitmining[.]website a legitimate cryptocurrency mining operation? What other websites are linked to our target site? How long has the site been operational? Where is the site hosted? Who is responsible for the website?
Too Good To Be True? - Crypto ‘Mining’ Exposed Part 1 of ? - My Gut Tells Me… In the coming weeks I will be taking you along with me on an investigation into a potentially suspicious cryptocurrency mining website. Starting from a single website I will show how through (mostly) passive OSINT techniques we can gain valuable insights into how some cryptocurrency frauds operate, identify other websites potentially controlled by the same person(s) and look at bypassing measures that the fraudsters use to hide themselves.
Archiving Websites for OSINT Investigators Adapted from a presentation given to the National Child Protection Task Force in June 2021
Why Archive? It is a challenge for investigators to properly capture the content and context of information from websites. Modern websites are rarely comprised of simple html content hosted in a single location (I realise the irony of this appearing on a simple website built using Hugo). Most websites are more like a restaurant meal, assembled using a variety of ingredients sourced from different locations and brought together according to a specific set of instructions to ensure consistent presentation and experience.
