OSINT - Open-source intelligence

What is OSINT?

Open-source intelligence is derived from data and information that is available to the general public. It’s not limited to what can be found using Google, although the so-called “surface web” is an important component.

As valuable as open-source intelligence can be, information overload is a real concern. Most of the tools and techniques used to conduct open-source intelligence initiatives are designed to help security professionals (or threat actors) focus their efforts on specific areas of interest.

There is a dark side to open source intelligence: anything that can be found by security professionals can also be found (and used) by threat actors.

Having a clear strategy and framework in place for open-source intelligence gathering is essential — simply looking for anything that could be interesting or useful will inevitably lead to burnout.