This post is to introduce myself as well as an introduction to the content I will be posting here. My name is Johnny Botha, I have a software development as well as cybersecurity research background. I work full-time at the CSIR and I perform project management as one of my main duties on cybersecurity and research projects. I am also actively involved in technical research projects. This web domain is a side-line hobby or side-line interest, where I design websites and experiment with digital marketing. Another hobby I took on is trading cryptocurrencies and recently also in stocks, forex and indices.
I have a bachelors degree in Computer Systems Engineering, a masters degree in Information Technology and a certificate in Project Management-PMBOK. My masters topic was in line with finding leaked personal information online from websites, and used POPIA as a base to determine in a three year span if there has been an increase or decrease in leaked information due to POPIA.
In 2020 I have shown an interest in blockchain and cryptocurrencies. I have seen a number of scams in the crypto space since 2020 and thought this area needs more attention in society. My employer supports the pursuit of doctoral studies and I decided that this could be a good topic. So, I registered for a PhD in 2022 and my topic/title is registered as: “A process for Blockchain Crime Investigations Based on Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)”. For additional knowledge in blockchain I also enrolled in an Ethereum Blockchain Software development course. I will post result from studies during the next 3 to 4 years. Each academic paper will follow with a blog post as well as other topics of interest within the OSINT and blockchain space.
I obtained an academic license from Maltego to assist me in defining this process. I will write about my findings using Maltego and various other tools, in hopes of ultimately be able to propose a process that could be used by the Police (the Hawks) and law enforcement. I have established contact with the Hawks, and will hopefully take part in some of their blockchain crime investigations to gain hands-on experience in the field.
If you have an interest in OSINT, blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies and you would like to engage, please reach out to me from the Contact Us page on this website.
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