Research & Analysis
About
An independent research consultancy based in Geneva, specializing in advanced open source intelligence, cyber reconnaissance, digital forensics, and multi-jurisdictional investigations.
What We Do
Core Capabilities
OSINT Collection
Multi-vector intelligence gathering across surface web, deep web, and dark web sources. Automated collection pipelines, NLP-powered foreign language processing, advanced Boolean operators, and proprietary data aggregation techniques across 500+ specialized databases.
Social Media Forensics
Advanced SOCMINT capabilities including network graph analysis, influence operation detection, sockpuppet identification, temporal behavioral patterns, sentiment analysis, and precision geolocation from imagery using shadow analysis, terrain matching, and metadata extraction.
Cyber Reconnaissance
Comprehensive passive reconnaissance including certificate transparency monitoring, BGP/ASN analysis, infrastructure topology mapping, technology stack fingerprinting, leaked credentials assessment, and attack surface enumeration—all without active intrusion.
Corporate Intelligence
Multi-jurisdictional entity research across 150+ country registries. Ultimate beneficial ownership tracing, offshore structure analysis, complex corporate hierarchy mapping, PEP/sanctions screening, and litigation analytics with AI-assisted pattern recognition.
Threat Intelligence
Proactive threat identification across dark web forums, ransomware leak sites, Telegram channels, and paste sites. Threat actor profiling, TTP analysis, credential breach monitoring, and geopolitical risk assessment with regional expertise in MENA and Eastern Europe.
Digital Investigations
Full-spectrum investigative support for fraud, asset recovery, IP theft, and litigation. Court-admissible evidence collection, cryptographic hashing for chain of custody, expert witness preparation, and deliverables formatted for regulatory and law enforcement use.
Michael Peterson
Director
Michael brings extensive experience in open source research and corporate intelligence. His work focuses on complex multi-jurisdictional investigations, offshore structure analysis, and financial crime research. He established The Commonlight Initiative in 2019 to provide discrete research services to clients requiring capabilities beyond conventional due diligence.
Technical Approach
Methodology
Collection Techniques
- ▶Advanced Boolean operators, Google dorking, and API-based bulk collection pipelines
- ▶Shodan, Censys, ZoomEye, and BinaryEdge for infrastructure reconnaissance
- ▶Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Common Crawl for temporal content analysis
- ▶Custom SOCMINT tooling with ML-assisted entity extraction and sentiment analysis
- ▶150+ jurisdiction corporate registry access with automated UBO tracing
- ▶Certificate transparency, passive DNS, and BGP/ASN routing analysis
- ▶Dark web forum monitoring, ransomware leak site tracking, and paste site analysis
Analysis & Reporting
- ▶Graph database-powered link analysis with automated relationship mapping
- ▶GEOINT analysis: shadow calculation, terrain matching, and chronolocation
- ▶Cross-platform identity correlation using stylometric and behavioral analysis
- ▶Temporal pattern analysis with anomaly detection and predictive modeling
- ▶SHA-256 hashing and timestamping for chain-of-custody integrity
- ▶Deliverables formatted for court submission, regulatory filing, or intelligence briefing
- ▶Multi-language capabilities: Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Mandarin, Farsi
All research is conducted using publicly available sources and passive collection techniques. We do not engage in active intrusion, social engineering, or unauthorized access. Our work complies with applicable Swiss and international legal frameworks. We maintain a network of regional contributors providing local expertise and language support.
What Guides Us
Our Values
Open Sources
Working exclusively with publicly available information
Verification
Rigorous fact-checking and source validation
Independence
Objective analysis without institutional bias
Discretion
Professional handling of sensitive research matters