In today’s digital world, information plays a crucial role. Both individuals and companies need reliable sources of information about other people and businesses. This is where OSINT comes in – Open Source Intelligence, which is the technique of gathering information from publicly available sources.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the tools that can be used for effective information gathering through OSINT.
What is OSINT?
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the process of collecting, analyzing, and utilizing information that is publicly available. This can include any data found on the Internet, such as:
- social media data,
- press articles,
- reports,
- blogs,
- discussion forums,
- and even public records.
OSINT uses widely known and popular websites that you probably use every day. This indicates their high availability and low entry threshold. The number of tools is really huge. You can see it on the OSINT website. For easier navigation, they are divided into clear categories and subcategories.
Selected OSINT tools
As I mentioned before, there are a lot of tools available. Here are the most common ones.
Web search engines
Popular search engines like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo are the fundamental tools of OSINT. They can be used to find information about individuals, companies, products, or events. Google also offers an advanced search engine that is less known but can provide additional search results.
Social media
Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are rich sources of information about individuals and companies. Searching through public profiles, posts, and comments can provide valuable data. Someone looking to gather information can, for example, join the same discussion groups and then check the comments we have added, bringing a lot of information that we may not pay attention to ourselves. Additionally, social media platforms also contain our photos, from which various information can be extracted.
Metadata
Photos shared on Instagram may contain metadata such as information about:
- the camera and settings,
- date and time of photo creation,
- and geographical data if the location was enabled when taking the photo.
Image search
Search engines allow for searching by image. Different search engines can provide different search results, allowing for gathering a lot of information. Google Images, TinEye, Yandex, and Bing Visual Search offer such image search capabilities.
A more advanced search is offered by PimEyes – a tool that searches the Internet to find images containing specific faces. PimEyes works based on reverse image search using facial recognition technology. It is sufficient to upload 2-3 face photos to find other images on the Internet.
It is worth noting that pimeyes.com is a paid tool, but it offers a monthly plan that costs around 150 PLN, making it relatively accessible for users.
Tools for monitoring social media
There are many tools available for monitoring social media platforms to track specific keywords, hashtags, or names. They allow for real-time tracking of information related to individuals or companies. Examples include Socialbakers, Brand24, HootSuite, Tweet Binder, Union Metrics, and many others.
Social network analysis tools
These tools allow you to analyze social networks such as Twitter or LinkedIn to discover connections between individuals, companies or groups. Knowing them, it is much easier to draw conclusions about specific people.
Public databases
There are numerous public databases, such as trade registers, address databases, or public data repositories. By utilizing these sources, one can find information about companies, such as registration details, contact information, or financial data.
Network traffic monitoring tools
Some tools allow for monitoring network traffic to track the activity of a specific IP address or domain. They can be useful in identifying sources of information and analyzing online activities.
Conclusion
OSINT, or Open Source Intelligence, is an incredibly valuable tool for gathering information about individuals and companies. By leveraging publicly available sources such as web search engines, social media platforms, or public databases, one can collect valuable information that can be relevant in various contexts, from market analysis to candidate research during the recruitment process.
However, it is important to remember that OSINT should be used in accordance with the law and ethics. Regardless of the purpose, caution should always be exercised, and compliance with applicable privacy and data collection regulations should be maintained.
Ultimately, the ability to utilize OSINT tools can prove invaluable in today’s information-driven world, enabling us to better understand our environment and make more informed decisions.
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