International OSINT groups vie for position with state agencies in Paris
Attracted by security trials ahead of the Olympic Games, a number of leading OSINT groups based in the United States and Israel are strengthening their presence in France.
Benefitting from the rising number of incidents on Russia's periphery and the careful staging of its response to these, the national security service has returned to the forefront of Russian politics after being given the cold shoulder over its strategic errors on Ukraine.
Bahrain's dual cyber institutions are muddling the NCSC's attempts to become an integral part of the regional security architecture. Launched in 2020, the government body is still competing with the Information and eGovernment Authority which is both a cybersecurity guarantor and financial regulator for the kingdom intent on curbing spending.
PR consultant Jeff Townsend is currently in demand with the British authorities, who are alarmed about their dependence on China for rare metals. He is taking advantage of the situation to champion the creation of an industrial alliance between the Five Eyes countries in this domain.
After attracting an array of international brands to Saudi Arabia, MJS Holding is playing an ever more prominent role in Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious megaprojects. It is also helping France's Accor with its plans to open hotels in the country's new tourism destinations.
Branches of the Sanctions and Export Control Society are poised to spring up in European and Asian capitals under an initiative led by the law firm Orrick and the consulting and private investigation outfit FTI Consulting, which plan to team with local firms in this booming business.
Natural language processing, popularised by ChatGPT, is of particular interest to the UAE's security apparatus conglomerates for their big data and open source intelligence (OSINT) programmes. The technology also promises to offer new firms in the sector a means to conduct low-cost influence operations.
Lee Wylde, an Intelligence Corps veteran and OSINT expert who has been involved in a number of British Army intelligence and data analysis programmes, has founded the defence startup Disruptive Industries.
The 33rd Cyber Operations Squadron has imposed its choice of native American-owned STS Systems Support as its cyber defence and network supplier, ending a battle that has held up implementation of the contract and undermined the squadron's capacity to protect US Air Force networks for months.