OSINT Comprehensive 2026

4-Day Live Virtual Intensive | September 28 – October 1, 2026

Hosted by Plessas Experts Network

Open-source intelligence is evolving faster than most investigators can keep up with. Social platforms are fragmenting, encrypted ecosystems are expanding, AI is changing investigative workflows, and digital evidence is becoming more difficult to verify, preserve, and analyze. OSINT Comprehensive 2026 is an intensive four-day live virtual training designed to help investigators, analysts, journalists, corporate security professionals, researchers, and law enforcement personnel develop modern, defensible investigative methodologies that work in today’s rapidly changing online environment.

This hands-on program goes far beyond basic search techniques. Participants will learn advanced investigative pivoting using names, usernames, emails, phone numbers, social media identifiers, and non-traditional indicators; conduct investigations across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn, Telegram, Discord, Signal, and WhatsApp; analyze internet subcultures and migrating online communities; perform geolocation and trilateration analysis; preserve digital evidence; investigate cryptocurrency ecosystems; use AI safely and effectively in investigations; and develop operational security workflows for professional investigative work. The course also includes social graph analysis, dark web awareness, automation workflows, browser tradecraft, research persona management, and investigative “vibe coding” methodologies for AI-assisted investigative tooling.

The training is taught live by Kirby Plessas, a globally recognized OSINT investigator and educator known for practical, real-world investigative training and modern investigative tradecraft. Kirby has trained law enforcement, intelligence professionals, corporations, journalists, and investigators worldwide on social media investigations, digital intelligence, emerging online ecosystems, and operationally focused OSINT methodologies. More about Kirby: https://plessas.net/kirby-plessas

Participants receive:

One-year access to Plessas Academy course materials
Downloadable investigative templates and reference guides
Digital OSINT resource booklets
AI Investigative Playbook
Open Source Certification (OSC) Voucher with retest option
Certificate of Completion
Limited-time access to live course recordings
Investigative resource portal access

Mini-Syllabus Preview

Day 1 — OPSEC, Advanced Search & AI Investigations

Operational security for investigators
Browser compartmentalization and attribution reduction
Advanced Google operators and investigative dorking
Email, username, phone, and PII investigations
Investigative pivoting methodologies
Google Programmable Search Engines (CSEs)
AI-assisted investigations and prompt engineering
“Vibe coding” and AI-assisted investigative tooling
Browser extensions, bookmarklets, and workflow acceleration

Day 2 — Social Media & Encrypted Platform Investigations

Social media dorking and URL manipulation
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter investigations
Geolocation and trilateration methodologies
Reddit, YouTube, and LinkedIn investigations
Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, and Signal investigations
Encrypted ecosystem investigative workflows
Social media evidence collection and analysis

Day 3 — Media Verification & Social Graph Analysis

Reverse image search and media verification
EXIF metadata and investigative media analysis
Digital evidence preservation and hashing
Social graph analysis and hidden account discovery
Alternate persona detection
Link analysis and investigative visualization
Investigative timelines and analytical methodologies

Day 4 — Dark Web, Crypto & Emerging Digital Ecosystems

Dark web investigative awareness
Cryptocurrency and blockchain investigations
Research accounts and sockpuppet methodologies
Investigative automation and monitoring workflows
Emerging apps and decentralized social networks
Internet subcultures and online behavioral analysis
Capstone multi-platform investigation exercise

Who Should Attend?

Law enforcement investigators
Intelligence analysts
Corporate investigators
Threat intelligence professionals
Journalists and researchers
Cyber investigators
Fraud investigators
Security professionals
OSINT practitioners seeking advanced modern workflows

Training Details

Live Virtual Delivery
September 28 – October 1, 2026
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM Mountain Time
Includes live demonstrations, practical labs, and investigative exercises
Beginner-to-intermediate friendly with advanced concepts integrated throughout

This course is designed to give participants practical, repeatable investigative workflows that can immediately be applied to real-world investigations across today’s evolving digital landscape.

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