Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) —
We, of course, need an entry for our eponymous hero. OSINT is an acronym for ‘open-source intelligence’ that means extracting, processing, and analyzing data from publicly accessible sources for a specific investigative goal.
At first glance, OSINT can be misleading since ‘open-source’ doesn’t denote software whose code can be freely modified; it actually means ‘derived from the public domain.’ And ‘intelligence’ isn’t limited to materials of secretive government bureaus but more generally refers to ‘applied information.’
So, OSINT (open-source intelligence) is the process of extracting and analyzing public information to generate actionable intelligence for various applications. While OSINT processes have raised questions about privacy, it is totally legal due to the nature of the information used, which is, by definition, in the public domain and legally accessible to all.
OSINT was born during WWII when the US government began amassing intelligence by closely studying public media in an attempt to discern enemy strategies and objectives. With the advent of the internet, the profusion of open data that became available for analysis transformed OSINT from a little-known reconnaissance method into a full-blown international industry with diverse uses across the public and private sectors.
It’s difficult to imagine a category of organization where OSINT frameworks couldn’t be put to some productive use. However some of the spheres where it has gained most traction include law enforcement, government, corporate and cyber security, as well as private investigation.
- Law enforcement agencies (LEAs). With people living out so many aspects of their lives online, we have seen a decline in HUMINT (Human Intelligence) – inspectors plodding the streets, knocking on doors etc. – and a vast increase in OSINT. This is especially the case with criminal investigations ranging from trafficking to money laundering cases.
- Governmental bodies. Military organizations use open data for conducting effective and reliable reconnaissance as well as counter espionage. Meanwhile, national security departments rely on open-source intelligence techniques to identify threat groups such as terror cells, maintain effective incident response to natural disasteres and riots, conduct sentiment analysis, combat misinformation, and other civil responsibilities.
- Corporate and cyber security. With businesses losing millions of dollars through single instances of ransomware attack or corporate data compromise, companies are paying greater attention to their information security. OSINT frameworks are a crucial part of threat intelligence including penetration testing and incident response, but can also be harnessed to mitigate perennial problems such as human error in social engineering scams or even sheer data carelessness.
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Featured terms
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Data Breach —
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Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT) —
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Our OSINT Solutions
A suite of data extraction and analysis methods across social media, blockchains, messengers, and the Dark Web connected directly to your in-house platform via our API.
A versatile OSINT tool for conducting in-depth investigations across social media, blockchains, messengers, and the Dark Web via the Maltego and i2 platforms.