In this blog, Fivecast VP and Co-Founder, Duane Rivett introduces the latest addition to the Fivecast product lineup. Fivecast MATRIX is a large-scale assessments and digital footprinting solution developed with the U.S. Government that addresses threats facing both national security and organizations.
It is increasingly important for government agencies and corporate organizations alike to perform risk assessments on large numbers of individuals, especially those who hold key roles in government agencies to determine if they pose a threat to people, operations or national security. However, these organizations can no longer keep pace with the scale of assessments and are drowning in data.
Key indicators of risk are increasingly present in an online digital footprint and assessing publicly available information across the Surface, Deep and Dark Web is integral to successful risk assessment. Successful investigations require an intelligence solution that addresses big data challenges and keeps pace with the changing digital world.
INTRODUCING FIVECAST MATRIX
In 2021, Fivecast partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense in a US $9M project to directly tackle the critical challenges facing investigative agencies. This project resulted in the creation of Fivecast MATRIX, an innovative and purpose-built solution capable of delivering essential intelligence insights for personnel background security investigations and continuous evaluation. In addition, Fivecast MATRIX is adaptable to a wide range of use cases across the government & commercial sectors.
Request the Fivecast MATRIX Solution Brief
Fivecast MATRIX is a powerful Publicly Available Information (PAI) collection and analysis tool, providing targeted and deep data collection and assessment. The innovative solution includes an intuitive workflow, automated online account resolution, collection from a range of public data sources and user-configurable analytics. Fivecast MATRIX can support a range of missions, provide continuous evaluation, and can interface with a range of third-party databases.
AUTOMATED RISK ASSESSMENT
Fivecast MATRIX enables analysts to configure risk detection frameworks with intuitive features driven by AI and machine learning to detect keywords, quotes, objects, and text in multi-media data for a granular view of threats.
Fivecast MATRIX is built ready to accept pre-defined rule sets that can be applied to detect threats in multi-media data. Leveraging Fivecast’s unique industry experience, tradecraft teams have worked closely with clients to build rule sets applicable to a range of threats. If data assessed by the tool matches a pre-defined or user-configured rule set, the detection will be flagged for analyst review.
SECURITY ASSESSMENTS
In the past, keeping up with the sheer number of security clearances and re-assessments required each year was the biggest challenge to effective security vetting. This challenge is now more complicated as analysts are also required to keep pace with masses of publicly available online data to gain a full picture of the threats an individual may pose. Agencies tasked with assessing this data need a solution that keeps pace with the platforms individuals are using online and sifts through the masses of data rapidly to uncover actionable insights. It also needs to be simple and easy to use.
Although Fivecast MATRIX was purpose built to meet the demands of the security clearance process, the assessment model developed is well suited to several important use cases including:
- Insider Threat Detection
- Continuous Evaluation
- Personnel Screening
- Background Investigations
- Visa Processing
- Border Security
- Protective Security
- Due Diligence
- KYC & AML
- Countering the Financing of Terror
- Supply Chain Risk Management
INSIDER THREAT DETECTION
Compromised classified materials, IP theft, espionage, active shooters, green-on-blue attacks and incidents during employment or following termination have become more common in recent years and have the potential to cause catastrophic damage to national security and organizations. Although these threats have always been present, the perception and disposition of cleared personnel can change much more rapidly today than some twenty years ago because of social media.
“Who did he [Airman Jack Teixiera] put at risk? I mean, you could make a list as long as a phone book.”
Judge Hennesey – Trial of U.S. Airman Jack Teixiera for leaking classified documents
CONTINUOUS EVALUATION
An effective option for remedying some of the weaknesses inherent in traditional approaches and getting ahead of insider threats includes implementing a system for continuous evaluation. With continuous evaluation techniques, intelligence teams can reduce and eliminate the space between reinvestigations and keep pace with and trace changes in the disposition of their workforce. Continuous Evaluation processes can help to mitigate three of the critical challenges facing the current security clearance sector, Time, Cost and Effectiveness.
