OSINT Roundup:
The Friday 5 Newsletter
By Ritu Gill
Secure Dark Web Evidence Capture GuideWhat's New - Forensic OSINT Chrome Extension
Forensic OSINT Extension Updated
Your Forensic OSINT extension has been successfully upgraded to the latest version.
Enjoy the new features and improvements!
Version: 2.7.4
Release Date: September 18, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Performance Optimization: Significant improvements to memory usage and stability during capture sessions. This update helps prevent browser slowdowns or crashes — especially when working with large or complex web pages over extended periods.
Additional Notes
If you've experienced lag or instability in the past, you should notice smoother performance with this release. We’re continuing to refine the extension to ensure it’s fast, reliable, and ready for your most demanding investigations.
Version: 2.7.3
Release Date: September 14, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- ✅ Essentials Plan Introduced: We've simplified our pricing tiers by retiring PRO and launching the new Essentials plan. Essentials is designed for solo investigators who need forensic-grade evidence capture without advanced team features. Includes unlimited captures, signed PDF reports, video downloads, and more — all for just $157/year.
Launch Special: $130 / year
🔒 Existing PRO subscribers remain fully supported as long as their subscription is active. - 📆 Facebook Account Creation Date: We now extract and display the account creation date for Facebook profiles within Data Insights — helping you verify authenticity and build accurate timelines.
- 🖱️ Right-Click Context Menu: Quickly access Forensic OSINT actions directly from your browser’s right-click menu. Capture the current screen, full page, or open the CMS without needing to open the extension popup.
- 🐞 Bug Fixes & Performance Enhancements: Minor improvements to syncing, UI consistency, and overall performance.
Version: 2.7.1
Release Date: August 17, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- 🎯 Subject Dossier Now Live (ELITE Only): The highly anticipated Subject Dossier module is now available to all ELITE users. It brings together everything you’ve captured about a subject—names, aliases, social media, relationships, and more—into one organized, centralized view.
🔗 https://www.forensicosint.com/subject-dossier-preview - 📘 Facebook Capture Enhancements: Several upgrades improve how Facebook data is captured and classified:
- Automatically logs whether the capture is a Timeline or individual Post.
- Extracts social links and websites listed in the user’s profile.
- Captures publicly visible relationship data (e.g., family members, relationship status) when available.
- 💬 ChatGPT Capture Support: You can now fully capture and document ChatGPT conversations—ideal for preserving prompts and responses in a verifiable format for reference or reporting.
Version: 2.6.7
Release Date: April 30, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Backend Connection Indicator: A new icon now displays when the extension is connected to a backend server, providing clear visual confirmation.
- User Management Portal (On-Prem Only): Admins on On-Premise setups can now manage team users via a dedicated user management interface.
Bug Fixes
- Active Case Memory Fix: Resolved an issue where the active case was forgotten after the app was left idle for more than 20 minutes. The extension will now correctly retain the active case to ensure new captures go into the correct case.
Version: 2.6.6
Release Date: April 22, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Team Settings (On-Prem Required): Admin users can now manage team members, including promoting or demoting users between Admin and Investigator roles.
- Team Branding Support (On-Prem Required): Admins can define consistent branding for the entire organization. Once set, the branding is automatically applied to all new captures, eliminating the need for users to manage their own branding settings.
- Active Case Sync Across Tabs: The active case is now pinned at the top and automatically stays in sync across all open CMS windows for better workflow continuity.
- Browser Info Displayed in Captures: Browser and OS details are now included in capture metadata to assist with investigative documentation and reporting.
Bug Fixes & Optimizations
- General performance improvements and minor bug fixes to enhance stability and user experience.
Version: 2.6.5
Release Date: April 3, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Refined Capture Tree UI: Items in the CMS capture tree are now properly indented, making it easier to distinguish individual captures and their associated details.
- Version Display in Extension: The current app version is now shown at the bottom of the popup extension for easier troubleshooting and support reference.
- Improved Image Navigation: When viewing captured images, you can now use back/forward browser buttons or keyboard arrow keys for faster navigation.
- Reduced MHTML on Comment Pages: Optimized MHTML capture logic to avoid saving excessive versions on comment-heavy pages like Facebook. Instagram capture behavior remains unchanged to ensure complete coverage.
Bug Fixes
- First Capture Sync: Fixed a bug that occasionally prevented the first capture from syncing correctly to the backend server.
- Case-Specific Keyword Alerts: Resolved an issue where case-specific alerts were not working as intended. This feature is now fully functional.
- Improved Deduplication in CMS: Fixed an issue where duplicate images remained if a capture crashed or wasn’t immediately processed. The CMS now removes duplicates automatically.
Version: 2.6.4
Release Date: March 25, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Optimized Syncing Code: Improved syncing performance and reliability for backend storage solutions.
- Persistent MP4 Toggle Setting: The MP4 download preference now remains enabled across sessions.
- Additional Custom Filename Options: Added new options for customizing filenames, including Capture Date/Time (LOCAL or UTC) and Capture Type.
- Default Case Protection: Default Case is now locked and cannot be modified to maintain consistent case management.
- Favicon Display: Website favicons now appear next to the capture URL in the CMS (tree view and capture details).
- Facebook Video Comments Expansion: Automatically expand comments on Facebook video clips before capturing.
- Import/Export Captures: Securely export and import encrypted captures using CEK/KEK encryption. Ideal for workflows where backend connectivity is not available (e.g., dark web investigations or isolated VM's).
Article: How to Transfer Captures from an Isolated System to a Secure Backend (export / import) - Sync All & Delete All Captures: Manage entire cases faster with new options to either sync all captures from the backend server to your Chrome Extension CMS or delete all backend captures in a case to free up storage space. As with individual capture deletion, you can retain the associated PDF report for future reference.
Version: 2.6.3
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Major Enhancements & New Features
- Optimized Facebook & Instagram Comment Expansion: Improved efficiency reduces resource usage while capturing comments, ensuring a smoother experience.
- Delete Captures While Retaining Reports: Free up storage by deleting old cases from the backend while keeping generated PDF Reports for future reference.
- Redesigned Backend Sync Page: Now grouped by case, providing more details at a glance for better organization and management.
- Improved Case Visibility in Tree View: Case folders are now bold and more distinct, making it easier to identify which captures belong to each case.
- Organized Report Storage: PDF Reports and Full-Disclosure files are now saved in dedicated case folders within your downloads directory for better file management.
- Customizable Report & Package Filenames: Adjust filenames for PDF Reports and Full-Disclosure packages to align with your organization’s naming conventions.
- Hash Table UI Enhancements: Improved interface and duplicate image detection—duplicates are now grouped into a single record, reducing clutter.
Bug Fixes & Optimizations
- Various minor bug fixes and performance improvements to enhance stability and usability..
Version: 2.6.2
Release Date: February 14, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- MP4-Only Video Downloads: By default, the video downloader selects the highest quality format available. However, many organizations, including courts and government agencies, require MP4 format for universal compatibility. A new option now ensures that all downloaded videos are in MP4, meeting compliance requirements and preventing playback issues.
Bug Fixes & Optimizations
- Various minor bug fixes and performance enhancements to improve stability and reliability.
Version: 2.6.1
Release Date: February 12, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Enhanced Print Option for ELITE Subscribers: ELITE users can now print reports with one screen capture per page for Full Page Screen Captures. This ensures images remain larger and clearer, improving readability in investigative reports.
- Backend Syncing Wizard: A new guided setup helps users connect to a backend for syncing captures. Supports both Free Cloud storage and On-Premise solutions, ensuring seamless and secure data management.
Why Sync to a Backend?
- Data Backup: Prevents loss by securely storing captures instead of relying on the browser’s database, which may automatically clear stored data when space is needed.
- PDF Generation: Create digitally signed and timestamped PDFs for verifiable documentation.
- Multi-Capture Downloads: Select all captures in a case and download them with one click for efficient evidence management.
Version: 2.5.10
Release Date: February 6, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Improved Backend Connectivity: Enhanced support for backend storage solutions, including the new Shared Cloud Storage, providing a seamless and reliable storage experience for your captures.
- Reintroduced Important Reminder: A crucial message has been re-added to remind users to download their captures to avoid potential loss. The reminder encourages using the "Download Full-Disclosure Package (Local)" option or setting up secure On-Prem storage solutions.
Version: 2.5.9
Release Date: February 3, 2025
Bug Fixes
This update resolves a significant issue that could cause the extension to crash unexpectedly in certain situations. Users who experienced browser crashes or other stability concerns should see improved performance and reliability.
Version: 2.5.8
Release Date: January 28, 2025
New Features & Improvements
- Faster Login Check: Reduced wait time for login verification when opening the extension.
- UI Fix: Resolved an issue where the animated GIF remained after ZIP downloads in Local Full Disclosure.
- Drag-and-Drop Captures: Fully restored drag-and-drop functionality in the CMS capture tree.
- Screen Capture Metadata: Added metadata options for screen captures, including capture date/time, user, and URL, making it easier to copy this information into reports (configurable in settings).
- New Case Dialog: Introduced a structured format for case creation: Year-File Number-Unique Name. This improvement makes it easier for larger teams to group and locate related captures within complex cases. The new system ensures consistency and simplifies collaboration for investigators working on shared cases.
Backend Update
This version supports connecting to the SHARED API Backend (BETA RELEASE), eliminating the need for a local backend installation through the On-Premise option.
Please contact us for further details - info@forensicosint.com
Bug Fixes
Various optimizations and minor fixes to improve stability and performance.
Minimum Requirements:
- 8 Characters
- 1 Upper
- 1 Lower
- 1 Digit