Center for Intelligence Research Analysis and Training (CIRAT)

Analysts use Open-Source Intelligence to assist clients in providing data and products that help decision-makers make timely and informed decisions. Our students identify networks and victims, provide resources for law enforcement, and develop intelligence-based activities to detect and report intelligence information about foreign or domestic developments that could indicate a threat to U.S. security, political or economic interests, or the private sector. Services offered include geospatial events, indications and warnings, monitoring, anti-money laundering, as well as anti-human trafficking.

Students learn about the competitive landscape of a business environment, as well as hone market and social media analysis skills. Using various analytic techniques, they determine the internal capabilities of a business and impact of the external environment. Services include competitive landscape; market analysis; supply chain risk, threat identification, and management; social media analysis; as well as network threats.

Country, Threat, and Vulnerability Assessments involve identifying and analyzing the capabilities of malicious factors in and out of the United States (U.S.). Students identify and analyze these factors, learn about country and regional assessments and geospatial intelligence, as well as use and apply various analytic techniques to determine indicators or worse-case scenarios and understand each party’s motives. This includes threats and vulnerabilities to and of companies and principals. Students analyze and forecast what a country or region will look like at a specific time based on factors that affect the operational environment. Services include country/regional assessments and geospatial intelligence.

Direct Operational Support provides an agreed-upon, as set by the client, number of analysts to provide support to a company or government entity. The company or agency provides the daily or weekly scope of support required based on their current analytical needs and deliverables. Analysts provide required information, data, or feedback, per reporting guidelines set by the client. The CIRAT ensures that the analysts are provided the technology, tools, and subject matter expertise to fulfill all requirements agreed upon in the statement of work, contract, or work order. This type of support provides the most flexibility in analysts pivoting as a client’s needs or operations pivot.

Students utilize their Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) training and education, produced from publicly and commercially available information and big data (surface, deep, and dark web), including the vast social media digital landscape. It is collected, exploited, and disseminated promptly to an appropriate audience to address a specific requirement. They follow Tier 0, Tier 1, and Tier 2 research, collection methods, and tradecraft, including the capability to properly conduct managed attribution, which is used to mitigate both topical and technical risks. It is only conducted through approved technologies per vendor and university agreements. The CIRAT OSINT Program is structured to take all risks so the client does not have to. Students use their OSINT training and education to exploit social media safely.

Students serve as key, critical informants for decision-makers in both the public and private sectors. They assess, evaluate, and respond to decision-makers' needs and requirements, collecting, storing, and querying data from various sources. 

Students are introduced to data analysis, cyber threat assessments, and digital forensics, through which they obtain, organize, and transform data for storage, exploration, visualization, and analysis. Students learn to assess and recover stolen digital information from a security breach and trace a breach to its source to prevent further malicious activity. Their work also empowers them to identify potential and future cyber threats and understand how to defend against them. Services include data analysis, cyber threat assessments, and digital forensics.