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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
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Paper ID:
10.55041/IJSREM.FCE019
Volume:
10 |
6 |
Jun 2026
Pages:
1-5
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of Computer Science Engineering
FET, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru-562112, Karnataka, India
Department of Civil Engineering
FET, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru-562112, Karnataka, India
Department of Civil Engineering
FET, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru-562112, Karnataka, India
Department of Computer Science Engineering
FET, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru-562112, Karnataka, India
Department of Civil Engineering
FET, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), Bengaluru-562112, Karnataka, India
As civil-engineering projects become increasingly digitized, they face growing cybersecurity risks, particularly from insider threats aimed at sensitive assets like design files, geotechnical data, and infrastructure access points. Conventional security tools often fall short here; insiders can use their legitimate access and institutional knowledge to slip past standard defenses. To bridge this gap, we propose a new early-warning framework powered by Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). By combining tools like Maltego, SpiderFoot, Recon-ng, theHarvester, and advanced Google Dorking, our framework systematically gathers and analyzes public data to spot emerging threats. The architecture includes modules for data collection, preprocessing, feature engineering, correlation, and alerting. By monitoring external digital footprints, we can catch subtle warning signs—such as employee disgruntlement, financial stress, suspicious connections, or accidental data leaks—before they turn into malicious acts. This approach gives civil-engineering firms a structured way to turn raw OSINT data into actionable intelligence, cutting down detection time and strengthening security against insider risks.
KEYWORDS
This paper presents a framework for using OSINT to proactively detect insider threats in civil-engineering projects. By systematically analyzing public information, we can identify warning signs before damage occurs [7]. Integrating tools like Maltego and SpiderFoot allows organizations to transform raw data into actionable intelligence [5, 14]. The design is modular, allowing adaptation to specific operational contexts, and focuses on protecting critical assets like design files and geotechnical data [1, 15]. Future work will involve integrating advanced machine learning and validating the framework through controlled deployment [2, 3].
[1] Lalropuia, K.C., Bhowmik, A., Rahaman, M.A.: Mitigating malicious insider threats to Common Data Environments in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry: An incomplete information game approach. Appl. Syst. Innov. 5(1), 5 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/asi5010005 [2] Alzaabi, M., Mehmood, R.: A review of recent advances, challenges, and open issues in insider threat detection. IEEE Access 12, 45678–45712 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3385212 [3] Sen, S., Saha, S., Chakrabarti, A., et al.: Real-time detection of insider threats using behavioral analytics and deep evidential clustering. In: Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Cyber Security, pp. 1–8 (2025). https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.15383 [4] Dragos, Inc.: Operational Technology Cybersecurity: The Role of OSINT in ICS/OT Security. Technical Report (2022). https://www.dragos.com/resource/ot-cybersecurity-osint-report [5] Maltego Technologies: Maltego Handbook for Cyber Threat Intelligence. Technical Documentation (2024). https://www.maltego.com/blog/maltego-handbook-for-cyber-threat-intelligence [6] NATO CCDCOE: Insider Threat Detection Study. Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (2018). https://ccdcoe.org/library/publications/insider-threat-study [7] CERT: Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats, 7th edn. SEI, Carnegie Mellon University (2024). https://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/insider-threat-guide [8] CISA: Insider Threat Mitigation Guide. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (2023). https://www.cisa.gov/topics/physical-security/insider-threat-mitigation [9] Villarreal-Vasquez, R., et al.: LSTM-based anomaly detection for hunting insider threats. In: Proc. IEEE CNS, pp. 1–9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1109/CNS56825.2023.10237521 [10] Xiao, L., et al.: Robust anomaly-based insider threat detection using graph neural networks. IEEE TDSC 20(4), 3456–3470 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1109/TDSC.2023.3245678
Publication Date
6/18/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
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