Course 12 - Maltego Advanced Course | Episode 4: Custom Entity Design and Implementation in Maltego

In this lesson, you’ll learn about:How to create custom entities in MaltegoHow to name entities and assign unique type IDsHow entity properties, main properties, and data types workHow inheritance allows new entities to reuse transformsHow to use advanced features like calculated properties and visual overlaysHow to build dynamic, visually adaptive entities for specialized investigationsSummary of the Episode: This episode walks through the full process of designing and implementing custom entities in Maltego, beginning with basic creation and advancing toward powerful features like inheritance, calculated properties, regex parsing, and dynamic icon overlays. It demonstrates how users can tailor Maltego to fit specialized investigation workflows by defining their own data structures and visual representations. 1. Naming and Identifying Custom Entities Creating a custom entity starts with two essential identifiers: Display NameA human-readable name, such as Worker, that appears in the graph.Type ID (Unique Identifier)Must be globally unique to avoid conflictsTypically structured with a namespace, e.g.:investitech.worker (organization format)my.worker (personal or training use)2. Creating a Basic Custom Entity To create a minimal entity, define:Display name: e.g., workerShort description: Explains its purposeUnique type ID: e.g., my.workerCategory: e.g., personalMain Property Every entity requires at least one property.Example:Property name: worker nameType: stringSample value: John DoeThe main property appears in bold in the property list and typically identifies the entity on the graph. 3. Using Entity Inheritance Inheritance allows a new entity to reuse all transforms and properties of an existing one. Examples:Website inherits from DNS name to gain transforms like “To IP address”.A custom worker entity inherits from maltego.person to reuse:First/last name propertiesPerson-related transformsThis makes the new entity more functional without additional configuration. 4. Additional Properties Custom entities can include any number of extra properties. Property types include:StringsNumbersDatesBooleansImagesLocationsDefault vs Sample ValuesSample value: Appears when dragging the entity from the paletteDefault value: Used if the property is left empty5. Calculated Properties Calculated properties automatically combine or transform other property values. Common annotations:$property(name): Reference another property$trim(): Remove surrounding whitespaceExample:A full name property combining first and last names. Calculated properties can be:VisibleHiddenRead-only (evidence-safe)6. Display Settings & Overlays Maltego entities can display visual cues based on their property values. Large Image (Icon)Can be chosen dynamically using a calculated propertyOverlays (5 Positions)NorthNorthwestWestSouthwestSouthOverlays can show:ImagesColorsText (e.g., job titles, statuses, labels)This gives investigators a quick visual read of key details without inspecting the property panel. 7. Regular Expressions for Parsing Regular expressions help:Automatically match input values to the correct entity typeExtract structured data from plain textExample:Splitting "40.7128 -74.0060" into latitude/longitude values.8. Advanced Example: The Custom Worker Entity The episode demonstrates a feature-rich worker entity: InheritanceInherits from maltego.personAdditional Propertiesgenderskin tonejobCalculated PropertyA hidden, read-only property called combined:gender_skintone_jobUsed to determine the icon dynamically. Dynamic AppearanceLarge icon changes based on the combined property valueJob title appears as a north overlayThis showcases how custom entities can visually adapt according to their data—ideal for specialized investigative environments. Conclusion By mastering custom entity design, inheritance, calculated properties, regex parsing, and graphical overlays, investigators can transform Maltego into a fully customized platform that models the exact data structures relevant to their cases.You can listen and download our episodes for free on more than 10 different platforms:https://linktr.ee/cybercode_academy