Have you ever thought about how journalists, detectives, law enforcement agencies, and the government manage to find unique information? They use the OSINT method. You may have heard of this term, but we want to describe in more detail what open-source data is.
Let's split this term into two parts. On the Internet, you can see publicly available information - this will be "open-source data." "Intelligence" has a deeper meaning. Most often, governments and law enforcement agencies collect personal information for professional purposes. Putting the two together, you get data collected from publicly available resources on the Internet.
However, we will note a few points that are not related to open-source information. For example, when you collect personal information about calls and correspondence with colleagues or friends, you violate personal boundaries because there is no such data in the public form. If you search for information on Google, this also does not count as OSINT. This method is beyond the scope of conventional keyword article searches. OSINT tools search for news on those sites that are not available through a conventional search engine.
Who First Used OSINT?
OSINT has been around for a long time. The first to use this method was the US Army during World War II. At that time, the government created FBMS, engaged in searching, collecting, and analyzing open-source data. They found the information in foreign publications of various organizations. For the analysis, people were hired who understood a foreign language and could find news quickly.
Later, when terrorist attacks broke out in the United States on September 11, 2001, the government created OSC, engaged in analyzing and searching for information that could threaten the country. OSINT tools exist now, which help simplify the search process. However, in those days, the OSC collected information from newspapers, magazines, TV and radio recordings, and photographs.
Why Do People Use Open Source Intelligence?
The technology allows you to collect as much information as possible from open sources for a full professional analysis. Therefore, the technology is used by people in many industries. Simultaneously, people can place data in various forms: articles, discussion posts on forums, video and audio files, documents, pictures, animations, etc. Also, more companies use the OSINT method to reduce threats to customers, employees, and products. Companies are combing out potential threats and doing everything possible to ensure the client's data confidentiality.
OSINT Tools
Before finding an answer to a question or satisfying a need for knowledge, users search for information and subject it to high-quality analysis, which sometimes takes too much time. Open source tools can help and can be run concurrently. They will collect data from available sources, leaving you with only the work of comparison and analytics.
- Shodan
While everyone is actively using Google to answer the simplest everyday questions, the cool search engine Shodan provides more relevant information. The service will immediately show you a selection of results that most fully meet your request in terms of meaning. Most often, the system is used to find assets connected to the network.
- VeePN
If you don't know how to unblock any website and want to get a lot of up-to-date information, you need to use VeePN. The service can unblock websites and provide extensive information from all over the world. Using a VPN is simple: register on the service, download the program and connect to a high-speed server. The company offers a free version with which you can learn about the advantages of a VPN. In the trial, all the same, functions are available to you as in the paid one. VeePN is a straightforward and convenient service that can unblock any websites because it has many servers. Also, you will receive reliable encryption, unlimited access to blocked content, and complete anonymity.
- Maltego
Built into Kali Linux, Paterva's powerful and intelligent tool is open source and designed for severe goal research through transformation. To use, you will need free registration on the manufacturer's website, after which you can proceed to create digital prints of the selected target on the network.
- Recon-Ng
Recon-Ng is a useful tool for conducting field surveys using a modular approach. The tool has built-in modules that allow you to get information by the request and needs. You can use its modules by marking up domains in the workspace. Recon-Ng is created to perform particular operations, such as searches for domains associated with the original or target.
OSINT Advantages
OSINT has many benefits. We will tell you about the top 5 advantages of this method.
- Time-Saving
Today, there are many social media platforms. Try to find a person or brand on social media. While searching, you will come across fake pages, and it can take a long time to find the information you need. Even if you set filtering or create search terms, you will still be given a lot of information that does not always meet your expectations. With OSINT tools, you can get more accurate results than manually analyzing many sites.
- Comprehensive
For open-source searches, you can use platforms such as Google, Yahoo, Bing. However, you will not get targeted results over 5% of Google, Yahoo, Bing index. OSINT tools analyze and search for information across multiple platforms, including social media, blogs, message boards, and public chats. Thus, you will have several times more data than search engines give out.
- Diligent
When you search the Internet for information, you may stumble upon articles published a long time ago. However, using OSINT tools, you can monitor data that is published in real-time. Programs will notify you when something relevant appears on the websites. Within a few seconds, you will be aware of all the events from the moment of publication. Perhaps you will be the first to see the article and be able to get the latest news.
- Finding Threatening Content
Today, you have access to the most advanced OSINT tools that simplify the research process. With built-in analytics tools, search for open-source people. Analyze their networks and connections. Within minutes you can find out who is posting threatening content.
- Global in Scope
People can receive threats from anywhere in the world. If you are the owner of a large company, you will surely face competition in the market for the services that you provide. Therefore, you need to understand what threats are exposed to employees, assets, buildings, equipment. You should also know what problems you may encounter during business trips. All this can be figured out using OSINT, which includes global awareness features. The tools can help you learn about potential threats, risks and help solve problems.
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