Link analysis

Link analysis visually maps and quantifies how entities are connected, often using graph databases. For example, it can reveal that multiple customer accounts use the same phone number, IP address, or payment method—suggesting coordinated fraud. Analysts can detect fraud rings, collusion, and synthetic identity clusters that would be difficult to find using linear data review alone.

Beyond fraud, link analysis is used in anti-money laundering (AML) to track the flow of funds, in cybersecurity to detect malware propagation across systems, and in law enforcement to map criminal networks. It also has applications in marketing (customer segmentation), healthcare (disease tracking), and even counter-terrorism.

The biggest challenge is data integration—bringing together structured and unstructured data from multiple sources to build accurate relationships. Poor data quality can lead to false positives or missed connections. Scaling link analysis to millions of nodes in real-time is also technically complex, requiring graph databases and advanced visualization tools. Additionally, interpreting the resulting graphs often requires skilled analysts with domain expertise.