OSINT Monthly Update: AI Images in Pahalgam, GPS Spoofing, and New Resources

April month’s OSINT update begins with the alarming role of synthetic media in the aftermath of the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 tourists were brutally killed in a terrorist attack.

Soon after the incident, AI-generated images began circulating on social media, falsely purporting to depict the attack.

These images often featured dramatic and fabricated scenes—burning vehicles, distressed individuals, and chaotic landscapes. Alarmingly, some of these visuals included AI-generated portrayals of Muslim men in stereotypically threatening poses. Such content not only misrepresented the events but also served to inflame communal tensions, influence public sentiment and complicate efforts by fact-checkers and authorities to provide accurate information.​

The episode highlights the growing challenge of synthetic media during crises. The rapid creation and spread of AI-generated misinformation can distort public perception, hinder emergency response, and deepen societal divides. For OSINT practitioners, developing strong verification tools and workflows is key to countering such disinformation campaigns.

Cross-Border Misinformation Also Spreads

Alongside AI-generated images, misleading posts also surfaced from both Indian and Pakistani users. In India, old and unrelated visuals were shared with claims that the army had killed the attackers. On the other side, some Pakistani accounts claimed, without evidence, that Rafale fighter jets had been shot down. These examples reflect the ongoing information tug-of-war during cross-border incidents.

Tool of the Month: GPSWise and GPS Interference Monitoring

Speaking about which I would like to share the first tool for this month, GPSWise. Following the Pahalgam attack, Dopti Yadav, a freelance OSINT journalist shared images of GPS jamming and spoofing in the Pakistan-India border region. The tool used to track this data was GPSWise, a tool used to detect GPS interference. Please explain what is GPSWise and how it works briefly

After the Pahalgam incident, OSINT journalist Dipti Yadav shared visuals of GPS interference in the India–Pakistan border region, using a tool called GPSWise.

GPSWise is an open-source platform developed by SkAI Data Services. It detects GPS jamming and spoofing by analyzing ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) data from the OpenSky Network. The tool compares actual aircraft positions with expected paths to identify anomalies, which are then mapped to show possible interference.

Relevance in Conflict Zones

GPS interference—jamming and spoofing—is often used in conflict zones as part of electronic warfare strategies. These disruptions can affect both military and civilian aviation. Tools like GPSWise help track such activities and offer insights into regions experiencing repeated interference.

In March 2025, the Indian government reported to the Lok Sabha that over 450 Indian flights had experienced GPS spoofing over the last two years, particularly near Amritsar and Jammu.

Toolkit Spotlight: Country-Specific OSINT Resources

A notable addition to the OSINT community is the country-specific toolkit project developed by Pavel Bannikov, with an interface later designed by Henk van Ess.

Bannikov’s “OSINT for Countries V2.0” project compiles tools and links for conducting investigations in specific regions. Van Ess created a searchable interface to make these resources easier to navigate.

The India toolkit includes links to data sources such as cadastral maps, vehicle registration databases, open data portals, business registries, and public procurement information. It’s a handy starting point for anyone conducting digital investigations related to India.

One of the key repositories in this project is the "OSINT-Tools-India" collection, which offers a comprehensive list of resources useful for conducting investigations related to India. This includes open data portals, legal entity searches, cadastral maps, vehicle registration databases, people search tools, public procurement information, and WHOIS data .

Training Alert: AFP's New InVID-WeVerify Course

AFP recently launched a new online course focused on the InVID-WeVerify plugin, a widely used tool for verifying online videos and images. The course was introduced at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia.

The plugin offers features like keyframe extraction, reverse image search, metadata viewing, and fragmentation analysis. It is especially useful for journalists, fact-checkers, and researchers working with visual content.

See you next month,

Dheeshma