OSINT: Open Source Intelligence

What is OSINT?

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) refers to the wide collection and analysis of information from publicly available sources.

Who uses OSINT?

Since OSINT focuses on information from public sources it can be used by Governments, Law Enforcement, Corporation's or any other entity or individual who has access to the internet. However, it doesn't only have to be over the internet. As long as the information is publicly available, even if it is in an analogue form, it still counts as Open Source Intelligence.

If you are part of law enforcement or national security then OSINT may help you catch criminals, but there are two sides to every coin, on the other hand if you are a criminal/malicious actor then you could use OSINT to identify and attack your victims.

Sources of OSINT

Sources of OSINT information can be gathered from mediums such as:

• Non-Internet Media: Newspapers, Magazines, Radio and Television etc.

• Internet: Online forums/Websites, Blogs, Social media, Academic Studies etc.

• Public government data: Public government reports, directories, press conferences and websites.

• Commercial data: Commercial reports, databases and, financial and industrial assessments.

This list is non exhaustive and many of these sources will overlap as the internet will also encompass most sources.

How is OSINT gathered?

You can spend your time manually searching through those sources of information trying to find something relevant, or you could utilise the many tools and techniques designed for obtaining Open Source Intelligence.

These tools and techniques make it much easier to find what you're looking for as it is usually scattered across the vast internet. It can also be difficult because the type of information you are looking for, while it is public, is usually not known that it is out there and is accessible.

Let's take a look at a some OSINT tools, techniques and resources:

• Google Dorking - Dorking is the technique of using "Advanced Search Operators" to search for specific information across the vast amount of google's indexed information. This helps narrow down the million or even billions of possible search results.

• OSINT Framework - This is a framework of mostly free information gathering tools and resources.

• AlienVault Open Threat Exchange - This is, "The World’s First Truly Open Threat Intelligence Community" that is completely free to use and gives access to over 20 million daily threat indicators with over 200,000 global users.

• MISP Project - Another free threat intelligence sharing platform.

• Spamhaus Project - "An international nonprofit organisation that tracks spam and related cyber threats such as phishing, malware and botnets, to provide real-time actionable and highly accurate threat intelligence".

• IBM X-Force Exchange - IBM's threat intelligence sharing platform that you can use to research security threats.

There is another technique that is not as directly accessible to the average person but still counts as publicly accessible information.

This would be Deep/Dark web intelligence. The Deep web, or the Hidden web, is the part of the World Wide Web that is not indexed by standard search engines, therefore it is not accessible by standard web browsers. The Dark web is the part of the Deep web where illegal activities take place.

On the Deep and Dark web, OSINT can be used to find leaked information from hacks and data breaches, anonymous whistleblowing, and even information about hackers coordinating upcoming attacks.

Applications of OSINT

OSINT can be applied in various ways, such as:

• Security and law enforcement: OSINT assists in threat assessments, criminal investigations, and monitoring social unrest.

• Business intelligence: Companies use OSINT for competitive analysis, market research, brand monitoring, and customer sentiment analysis.

• Journalism and research: Journalists and researchers rely on OSINT for fact-checking, verifying information, and conducting investigative journalism.

Benefits of OSINT

Depending on your goals and the type of intelligence you want to gather OSINT can bring some benefits such as:

• Accessibility and Availability: OSINT leverages publicly available sources, making it accessible to anyone anywhere with an internet connection.

• Cost-Effectiveness: OSINT is a cost-effective intelligence gathering method compared to traditional intelligence methods, which often involve significant financial investments or specialised resources.

• Timeliness: OSINT enables almost instant intelligence gathering. Breaking news, social media updates, and other online content can be monitored and analysed promptly, providing up-to-date insights.

• Wide Range of Sources: OSINT encompasses a diverse range of open sources, allowing for comprehensive data collection.

• Complements Traditional Intelligence: OSINT complements traditional intelligence gathering methods, such as human intelligence (HUMINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT).

• Low Risk: Accessing publicly available information carries no risk compared to traditional intelligence gathering activities such as sending operatives into hostile nations.

Disadvantages of OSINT

Just as this intelligence is publicly available to those who wish to do good with it, or at least do no harm, it is just as available to malicious actors who wish to cause harm with such information.

These malicious actors will use OSINT to study their targets for vulnerabilities that they can exploit. This could take place in the form of finding wrongfully disclosed information on a companies website that they can use to attack them.

Or they could be crawling through a potential victims social media presence to gather as much personal information about them so that they can pull off crimes such as Identity Theft, Harassment and, Social Engineering & Phishing attacks.

This is why Operation Security(OpSec) is crucial for everyone.

OpSec is the process of protecting yourself by protecting and limiting what information you expose about yourself and your activities(operations). It is important to consider what information you are posting online, such as your location, or info in the background of images or in the meta data and more.

It may seem insignificant in the moment but if you release enough "insignificant" data, then over time it can be put together and become very significant, allowing a malicious actor to exploit this information.

Other disadvantages of OSINT include:

• Lack of Control and Verification: As OSINT relies on publicly available information, there is limited control over the accuracy and authenticity of the data. Verifying the credibility of sources and validating the accuracy of this information can be challenging.

• Information Overload: The vast amount of publicly availabe data can lead to information overload. OSINT practitioners may struggle to sift through and analyse this large volume of data effectively.

• Contextual Limitations: OSINT might not provide the full context or nuances behind the information which can lead to inaccurate interpretations of the information gathered.

• Bias: OSINT can be subject to biases present in open sources, including the creators of the content, the platform, or the audience.

• Limited Access to Restricted Information: Since OSINT is limited to publicly available information, if you were to only rely on OSINT for intelligence gathering, then you might only be seeing half the picture as the rest of the information might be classified.

Future Impacts on OSINT

As technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning continue to evolve as time goes on, OSINT will also evolve.

Development in these technologies enhance data analysis, automation, and pattern recognition allowing OSINT to be more independent and automated to remove the very limiting human element of not being able to process such large amounts of data.

Conclusion

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a powerful form of utilising publicly available information that is accessible freely to all. By understanding OSINT tools, resources and applications, practitioners can utilise OSINT effectively and responsibly to achive their goals and solve their problems.

However this ease of access means that it can be used for both good and bad. So not only is it important that we know how to utilise OSINT for ourselves, but also know how to protect ourselves from OSINT by employing good Operational Security (OpSec).

Stay safe. Have fun.