Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations: The Art of Analyzing Hacked and Leaked Data
- 10h
- Micah Lee
- No Starch Press
- 2024
Unlock the internet’s treasure trove of public interest data with Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations by Micah Lee, an investigative reporter and security engineer. This hands-on guide blends real-world techniques for researching large datasets with lessons on coding, data authentication, and digital security. All of this is spiced up with gripping stories from the front lines of investigative journalism.
Dive into exposed datasets from a wide array of sources: the FBI, the DHS, police intelligence agencies, extremist groups like the Oath Keepers, and even a Russian ransomware gang. Lee’s own in-depth case studies on disinformation-peddling pandemic profiteers and neo-Nazi chatrooms serve as blueprints for your research.
Gain practical skills in searching massive troves of data for keywords like “antifa” and pinpointing documents with newsworthy revelations. Get a crash course in Python to automate the analysis of millions of files.
You will also learn how to:
- Master encrypted messaging to safely communicate with whistleblowers.
- Secure datasets over encrypted channels using Signal, Tor Browser, OnionShare, and SecureDrop.
- Harvest data from the BlueLeaks collection of internal memos, financial records, and more from over 200 state, local, and federal agencies.
- Probe leaked email archives about offshore detention centers and the Heritage Foundation.
- Analyze metadata from videos of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, sourced from the Parler social network.
We live in an age where hacking and whistleblowing can unearth secrets that alter history. Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations is your toolkit for uncovering new stories and hidden truths. Crack open your laptop, plug in a hard drive, and get ready to change history.
About the Author
Micah Lee is a renowned investigative journalist and computer security engineer celebrated for securing Edward Snowden’s NSA leak. He is the director of information security at The Intercept and an advisor to the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets. A former EFF staff technologist and Freedom of the Press Foundation co-founder, Lee is also a Tor Project contributor and the developer of open source security tools like OnionShare and Dangerzone.
In this Book
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Introduction
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Protecting Sources and Yourself
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Acquiring Datasets
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The Command Line Interface
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Exploring Datasets in the Terminal
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Docker, Aleph, and Making Datasets Searchable
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Reading Other People’s Email
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An Introduction to Python
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Working with Data in Python
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Blueleaks, Black Lives Matter, and the CSV File Format
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Blueleaks Explorer
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Parler, the January 6 Insurrection, and the Json File Format
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Epik Fail, Extremism Research, and SQL Databases
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Pandemic Profiteers and Covid-19 Disinformation
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Neo-nazis and Their Chatrooms
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Afterword
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A Solutions to Common WSL Problems
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B Scraping the Web
