Ep. 068 - Finding the Needle in the Haystack: Identification through Writing Style

Did you know that the unique little errors and style you have in writing can pinpoint you like a fingerprint, even in your anonymous online posts?  

Join us as we discuss this exciting topic with Sadia Afroz. 

• Can you discuss the different methods to detect these deceptions by analyzing writing style?
  • Is it possible to detect multiple identities from a single email?
  • Would it be possible to do this with just a single email or would you need multiple?

• I know you have done a lot of work in stylometry.   Your publication “Doppelgänger Finder: Taking Stylometry To The Underground” was quite popular amongst InfoSec news publications.
  • Can you briefly introduce the concept of stylometry and discuss how stylometry applies to information security?
• So, analysis of underground forums can provide key information about who controls a given bot network or sells a service, and the size and scope of the cybercrime underworld.
  • Can you talk about some of the most prevalent findings here?
  • Does this apply specifically to web presence or can this also apply to  phishing campaigns?

• In your article “Use Fewer Instances of the Letter “i”: Toward Writing Style Anonymization” Your framework defines the steps necessary to anonymize documents. Can you explain how this works?
  • What about for phishing emails where there are multiple authors? Is this something you are able to determine?
• Can you speak about how you’ve found security and privacy to intersect with machine learning and the implications this has for the human element?

Also check out her BIO PAGE

The freeware writing recognition tool

AND

Her favorite book