OSINT 101

What Is Open-Source Intelligence?

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the process/practice of gathering and analyzing publicly available information to create actionable insights. It is intelligence created using public information, of which there is now more accessible via online sources than ever before.

OSINT 101

How Does It Work?

  • Public Data Sourcing

    Scanning websites, news outlets, social media, search engine results, geotags, public records, forums, and dark web research for relevant information

  • Advanced Techniques

    OSINT-certified experts leverage layered techniques and tools including web scraping, archive searches, keyword monitoring, and social listening to collect and connect intelligence

  • Contextual Analysis

    Connecting the dots. Using breadcrumbs and digital trails to uncover and identify relationships, timelines, and patterns to reveal the story behind the data

OSINT 101

How can OSINT Benefit My Company or Organization?

  • Threat Awareness

    Discovering and tracking threat actors

  • Reputation Discovery

    Identify and investigate reputational issues

  • Privacy Management

    Identify and takedown privacy data that could pose a safety risk

OSINT 101

OSINT MYTHS

OSINT is not

  • Hacking
  • Network Penetration
  • Social Engineering
  • Password Entry Attempts
  • Unauthorized Access
  • Extortion
OSINT 101

Ethical & Legal Compliance

  • Passive

    OSINT uses only publicly available sources and operates within privacy and legal boundaries

  • Examples of OSINT Sources

    Commercially Available Information (CAI) Historic & Archived Data | Dark Web Forums |Data Imagery | Stolen Data (if publicly posted) Videos & Imagery | Video Analysis | Metadata