What Hetherington Group does

Hetherington Group is a private, founder-owned investigations, intelligence, and training firm specializing in open-source intelligence (OSINT). Headquartered in Wanaque, New Jersey, the company operates through three service divisions — HG Investigations (background investigations, cyber investigations, due diligence, intellectual property investigations), HG Intelligence (consulting, Digital Vulnerability Program, risk monitoring across 20+ million sources), and HG Training (accredited online courses, webinars, and customized corporate programs) — supported by the proprietary CRAWL™ methodology (Communicate, Research, Analyze, Write, Learn) developed by founder and CEO Cynthia Hetherington.

Name

Hetherington Group

Legal name

Hetherington Information Services, LLC

Website

https://hetheringtongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hetherington Group is a founder-owned OSINT firm delivering investigations, intelligence, and training services to Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, law enforcement, and family offices through its CRAWL™ methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative and Intelligence Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital/Online Investigations & OSINT (Non-cyber) (BPAKAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fraud, Cybercrime Investigations & Brand/Dark Web Monitoring (BPAKAHAO), Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI)

Keywords

• Corporate due diligence
• Open source intelligence
• Background investigation services
• Digital vulnerability assessment
• OSINT training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wanaque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Investigative Services: Professional services revenue from investigative engagements including background investigations, cyber investigations, due diligence, and intellectual property investigations for enterprise and government clients.
2. Intelligence Services: Ongoing intelligence services including digital vulnerability assessments, risk monitoring, and consulting engagements for corporations and government.
3. Training Programs: Revenue from accredited OSINT training including online courses ($2,100-$2,400 per person), monthly webinars (1 CPE credit each), and customized corporate training packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hetherington Group is an investigative intelligence firm delivering three integrated service lines: HG Investigations (background investigations, cyber investigations, due diligence, and intellectual property investigations), HG Intelligence (consulting, Digital Vulnerability Program, and continuous risk monitoring across surface, deep, and dark web sources), and HG Training (accredited OSINT online courses, monthly CPE webinars, and customized corporate training). All engagements are executed by certified open-source intelligence analysts applying the proprietary CRAWL™ methodology and are delivered primarily to Fortune 500 corporations, federal/state government agencies, defense and military organizations, law enforcement, and family offices.

Product overview

Hetherington Group is an investigations, intelligence, and training firm offering a portfolio of services organized under three core divisions: HG Investigations (background investigations, cyber investigations, due diligence, and intellectual property investigations), HG Intelligence (consulting services, Digital Vulnerability Program, and Risk Monitoring), and HG Training (webinars, online courses, and customized training). The company also operates CyberSkills2Work as a transition program for military personnel. All offerings are grounded in the proprietary CRAWL methodology and open-source intelligence tradecraft. Services are delivered by certified analysts and subject matter experts primarily to corporations, government agencies, law enforcement, and family offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HG Training: Training division of Hetherington Group delivering innovative training in open-source intelligence for professionals in government, law enforcement, defense, and corporate security.
• OSINT Academy
• CyberSkills2Work

Products and services

• Background Investigations Comprehensive research into individuals' identities, affiliations, litigation history, assets, regulatory exposure, and reputational risk, conducted FCRA-compliant for employment screening, M&A diligence, investor diligence, and litigation strategy support for corporations and government clients.
• Cyber Investigations Digital threat investigations that uncover online harassment, impersonation, fraud, and data exposure, delivering attribution and digital evidence using the CRAWL™ method for organizations and individuals facing cyber incidents.
• Due Diligence Investigative due diligence on public and private entities worldwide covering corporate structure, litigation history, sanctions, financial health, and reputational risk to support deal-making, partnership decisions, and regulatory inquiries.
• Intellectual Property Investigations IP infringement investigations identifying counterfeit product distribution, domain hijacking, and unauthorized trademark use, supported by court-ready documentation for enforcement actions.
• Consulting Services Strategic guidance on intelligence, investigations, and online risk including litigation support, expert witness testimony, OSINT program development, and due diligence frameworks for corporations, government, and law enforcement clients.
• Digital Vulnerability Program Analyst-driven digital footprint removal and continuous monitoring for high net-worth individuals and executives, suppressing PII across aggregators, breached databases, public records, and social media, delivered with ongoing hygiene protocols.
• Risk Monitoring Real-time threat detection monitoring across more than 20 million sources spanning the surface, deep, and dark web to protect executives, families, brands, and digital assets from impersonation, data leaks, and hostile online activity.
• OSINT Academy Online Courses Accredited OSINT training courses including Foundations of OSINT (8-week virtual asynchronous, $2,100 per person), Applied Data Analytics for OSINT (8-week self-paced, $2,400 per person), and Business Due Diligence (4-week self-paced, $2,400 per person), designed to prepare professionals for the Open-Source Certification (OSC) exam.
• Monthly OSINT Webinars Monthly live one-hour webinars on OSINT techniques offering 1 CPE credit per session and accredited as Group Internet Based by NASBA, ACFE, and OSC for investigative, analytical, and intelligence professionals.
• Customized Corporate Training Purpose-built OSINT training packages for military, government, corporate security, and family office teams, delivered virtually, on-site, or in hybrid formats with scenario-specific instruction and pricing per Letter of Engagement.
• CyberSkills2Work Program Workforce transition program providing cybersecurity training, career development, and job placement support to transitioning military members, first responders, veterans, and government personnel, established in 2020.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180,000+ professionals trained in OSINT and investigative best practices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SafeHaven Security GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Strategic partnership announced February 11, 2025 to strengthen threat assessment and digital risk monitoring capabilities. The partnership combines Hetherington Group's OSINT expertise with SafeHaven Security Group's threat assessment and security consulting services to provide enhanced protection for clients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kroll: Kroll is a global investigations, due diligence, and risk consulting firm serving corporations, law firms, and government. Directly comparable to Hetherington Group across corporate investigations, due diligence, cyber/digital risk, and cross-border intelligence services.
• Control Risks: Control Risks provides global investigations, due diligence, political risk, and security consulting to enterprises and government clients. Closely overlaps Hetherington Group's corporate due diligence, intelligence, and risk-monitoring practices.
• Pinkerton: Pinkerton is a long-standing corporate investigations and security services firm offering background checks, due diligence, and corporate risk services. Comparable to Hetherington Group in core investigations and corporate intelligence delivery.
• Nardello & Co. Nardello & Co. is a boutique global investigations firm specializing in due diligence, intellectual property, and cyber investigations for corporations and law firms. Directly comparable niche investigations focus and analyst-driven tradecraft.
• Guidepost Solutions: Guidepost Solutions offers investigations, compliance, and security consulting to corporations, governments, and law firms. Comparable in background investigations, due diligence, and digital risk services targeting similar client segments.
• Berkeley Research Group: BRG's Investigations and Cyber Forensic practices deliver corporate investigations, due diligence, and digital forensic services. Comparable to Hetherington Group in serving Fortune 500 and law firm clients with complex investigations.

Broad incumbents

• FTI Consulting: FTI Consulting's Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment provides corporate investigations, due diligence, and expert services to large enterprises. Overlaps with Hetherington Group on investigations and intelligence but at much larger scale and broader service breadth.
• SANS Institute: SANS Institute is a leading cybersecurity and digital forensics training provider offering accredited courses and certifications. Comparable to Hetherington Group's HG Training/OSINT Academy training division for individual professionals and corporate buyers.

Emerging players

• Recorded Future (Insikt Group): Recorded Future's Insikt Group delivers threat intelligence research and dark-web monitoring, intersecting Hetherington Group's Risk Monitoring and Digital Vulnerability offerings. Different in being a tech platform with analyst overlay rather than a pure-play investigations firm.
• Terbium Labs (now Constella Intelligence): Constella Intelligence provides digital risk monitoring and identity intelligence for executives and enterprises. Comparable to Hetherington Group's Digital Vulnerability Program and continuous monitoring services for high-net-worth and corporate clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HetheringtonGrp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HetheringtonGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/HetheringtonGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hetheringtongroup

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hetherington Group