Covert Network Forensics Using Graphical Database Sensitivity Analysis: An Application to the November 13 Paris Attacks

• In Event: 246 - Regular Session. Methods for Social Network Analysis

Abstract

Covert network forensics is the problem of inferring the structure of a covert network from heterogeneous and incomplete sources. This paper proposes a system for recording information about covert networks, and then systematically inferring the network structure using graphical database sensitivity analysis. It applies the method to infer the terrorist network of the recent November 13 attacks in Paris and related plots in Europe by the Islamic State group (IS). The resulting network was found to be a qualitatively different network from the ideologically-related Al-Qaida organization, having a lower resilience and lower mean degree.

Authors

• Sasha Gutfraind, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Michael Genkin, Singapore Management University