What Is OSINT in 2024: A Guide by Molfar

What OSINT is in the modern age of digital developments and new fact-checking challenges? Find out how to define OSINT and the methods we use to collect open source intelligence data for our investigations. Employ the tips and insights from this Molfar guide to learn the basics of contemporary OSINT research. 

Our OSINT Definition

The first step is to outline what is open source intelligence and how it has changed in recent years. OSINT stands for open source intelligence investigation. It is the collection, analysis, and interpretation of information that is publicly available, legally accessible, and ethically sourced for the research. From cybersecurity to corporate intelligence, law enforcement to journalism, the demand for OSINT research skills is rising as a means to:

• monitor safety risks 
• conduct person-of-interest investigations 
• check facts 
• verify sources of info
• detect early signs of cyberattacks 
• assess market competitors 
• check someone's credibility

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing are revolutionizing OSINT investigations. These technologies automate data collection, enhance analysis, and uncover patterns that would otherwise remain hidden.

What Is OSINT Investigation and How Does It Work?

In a nutshell, OSINT is a method that can be used for various purposes. Unlike traditional intelligence-gathering techniques that rely on confidential sources, open source intelligence focuses solely on information available to anyone. This information can come from a wide range of sources, both online and offline:

1. Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
2. News websites and blogs
3. Online forums such as Reddit
4. Public databases and government records
5. Academic publications and research
6. Corporate websites and financial reports
7. Public events and presentations
8. Published books and journals
9. Conversations with credible people
10. Domain name registries 
11. Geolocation data 
12. The "deep web" content which is not indexed by search engines

What Are the 5 Steps of OSINT?

You should know that understanding what is open source intelligence for the investigation involves a specific pipeline of stages for getting and processing data. Follow this route:

1. Gather Data. First, do the groundwork for the investigation and get as many details as possible. Clearly define your research objectives. What specific questions are you trying to answer? What type of information are you seeking? Don't be distracted by the aspects that don't enhance your OSINT research. Begin with broad searches to get an overview of the background info, then gradually refine your queries based on the findings. Consider what type of OSINT research will work best in your particular scenario: reverse name search, reverse image search, geolocation, social media investigation, etc.
2. Interpret the Info. This step transforms a chaotic information collection into a structured framework, making spotting the patterns easier. Pay attention to anomalies and similarities in the data pool. Also, remember surprising connections between individuals or events that can lead to valuable insights.
3. Organize the Findings. Here, it would help if you had a critical eye, the ability to analyze information objectively, and the skill to draw logical inferences. You should assess the significance of the data, consider alternative explanations, and form conclusions that align with the OSINT research goals. Be ready to detect prejudice of your OSINT sources to make sure that the insights have not been skewed. 
4. Check the Credibility. Fact-checking and verification of the sources' credibility is paramount in OSINT investigations. Otherwise, all the findings are useless and can easily mislead you. Remember that some sources may be biased, outdated, or outright false. That's why you must cross-reference data from multiple OSINT sources, assess the reputation and expertise of authors, and pay attention to the context.
5. Apply the Findings. The final step transforms raw data into actionable intelligence. Use intelligence to make informed decisions, mitigate risks, or take other appropriate actions. If you ignore the info you've gained through the OSINT investigations and don't bring about any change, no progress can be made.

What Is OSINT Used for?

Now that you know what is open source intelligence, you can apply it’s research elements to meet personal and business needs. Consider employing open source intelligence techniques to gather data if you have such needs as:

• Verifying Information. Double-check facts and sources with OSINT to ensure the information you have found is accurate.
• Protecting Your Online Reputation. Monitor social media and online forums for mentions of your name to ensure your digital footprint reflects your desired image or brand. 
• Investigating Potential Scams. Research individuals or businesses before making financial commitments or arranging partnerships.
• Conducting Risk Management. Evaluate potential risks to your business, such as cyber threats, fraud, or reputational damage.
• Boosting Talent Acquisition. Research potential candidates to assess their qualifications, experience, and online presence. That's how you can hire only top-tier pros in the field.
• Handling Market Research. Gather info about target audiences, customer preferences, competitors, and trends.
• Benefiting Sales and Lead Generation. Identify potential customers, gather contact information, and tailor outreach.
• Collecting Military Intelligence. Study the battlefield, expose war criminals, explore geolocation data, etc. 

Who Needs OSINT Investigation? 

A lot of stakeholders can leverage OSINT methods in their professional or personal lives. For example: 

• Businesses need to look up the background of employees and/or partners. 
• Investment funds apply open source intelligence to check the credibility of the companies. 
• Public figures who need to monitor their image and reputation. 
• Military professionals and organizations utilize OSINT for intelligence gathering and cybersecurity purposes. 
• Regular people can use open source intelligence to collect information, expose a scammer or verify the identity of a partner they’ve met on a dating site. 

The Domains of OSINT

Suppose you want to have an in-depth knowledge of what is open source intelligence. In that case, you should distinguish between the main branches of OSINT. In general, collection of data from public sources can be divided into such spheres as:

• SOCMINT or Social Media Intelligence. This type of OSINT research leverages publicly available information from social networking platforms to gain insights into individuals, groups, and public opinions. SOCMINT can lead to such findings as valuable information about relationships, interests, locations, and views by examining posts, photos, connections, and interactions on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
• HUMINT or Human Intelligence. The method involves collecting information directly from human sources through open interaction. Consider such techniques as conducting interviews, engaging in conversations, or observing behavior to elicit information. Social engineering and advanced people skills are necessary to retrieve data from the OSINT sources.
• GEOINT or Geospatial Intelligence. In contrast to other open source intelligence methods, this strategy employs satellite imagery, maps, and geographic data to study physical locations and environments. GEOINT plays a crucial role in military OSINT in gaining situational awareness in the shortest amount of time.
• FININT or Financial Intelligence. This branch of open source intelligence can help track down financial transactions, investments, assets, and money flows. You can uncover fraud, money laundering, and corruption based on open data about bank records and statements. 
• SIGINT or Signals Intelligence. In this case, OSINT researchers focus on such channels as communication signals, such as emails, phone calls, text messages, etc. Use it to decipher coded messages, identify communication patterns of the OSINT sources, and study their motives.

One important tip: the most efficient approach is to combine a few OSINT domains within one investigation. Oftentimes the use of one open source intelligence method leads to another when you assemble a person of interest profile. For example, you can kick off the investigation with FININT search and then need GEOINT and SOCMINT to expose the person’s hidden financial channels. 

Which Tool Is Used for OSINT in Different Cases?

Not all OSINT techniques require the researcher to complete tasks manually. Sometimes, optimizing open source intelligence gathering is a key to saving time and money. Here are some tools we recommend, depending on the circumstances of your OSINT investigation:

• Hunter.io. Apply this instrument to find email addresses associated with a domain name. It works best if you want to gather B2B leads and then establish connections with HUMINT.
• X-Ray Contact. Work with this open source research tool to study a person's digital footprint based on limited entry info. For example, use search channels such as name, username, socials, etc., for your SOCMINT query or other types of person of interest research. 
• Mention. Utilize the app for real-time monitoring of brand mentions and social media discussions across various platforms. It's an easy way to optimize open source intelligence for SOCMINT research about your company.
• SEC EDGAR. Exploit it as a useful FININT database of public company filings, including financial statements or prospectuses. 
• Shodan. Use this search engine for revealing internet-connected devices. You can find out information about servers, IPs, webcams, routers, and other systems for a SIGINT investigation.
• Google Earth Pro. Try this simple tool for exploring satellite imagery, 3D terrain, and historical maps. It can be one of the useful OSINT sources to push forward a GEOINT investigation. 
• Pimeyes. It’s a face recognition tool that can help you to look up photos that feature a target person online. 
• Social Links. A tool that automates the collection of open source intelligence and helps to visualize the data. 
• RocketReach. It’s a useful instrument for the professionals in sales who need to get the contact info of the potential leads. 
• OpenSanctions. Use this service to look up a person’s or a companies history of being banned by the governments. 
• WhatsMyName. It’s a comprehensive means to aggregate social media profiles of a target for your SOCMINT investigation. 

OSINT Investigation FAQ

You might have figured out the basics of OSINT investigation and how to conduct it even with minimum experience. Now, let's delve into the nuances of the what is open source intelligence on practice. 

What Is OSINT in Cyber Security?

Protection from cyber threats is one of the main uses of open source intelligence by businesses. Consider useful applications of OSINT techniques such as threat hunting and threat intelligence. They are necessary to take proactive steps and prevent phishing attacks, credential leaks, data breaches, and other security hazards.

For example, security analysts study social media, dark web forums, and other open sources to learn about cybercriminal tactics, motivations, and potential targets. This allows your company to always stay on guard and spot potential weaknesses. OSINT research is a magnifying glass that reveals potential vulnerabilities in an organization's digital infrastructure. 

What Is an Example of OSINT Case?

Wonder what is open source intelligence in real life to better grasp the concept? Scroll through these examples of how open source intelligence was used in practice:

• Europol's Stop Child Abuse – Trace an Object program uses OSINT techniques in order to find perpetrators of crimes against children with the help of tips from the general public. By leveraging open source intelligence this initiative has already contributed to identifying numerous victims and arresting perpetrators.
• Back in 1991, OSINT sources were necessary in order to track down and arrest an infamous criminal, Pablo Escobar. Such clues as financial statements and the analysis of media mentions helped to dismantle his drug network.
• After the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, OSINT resources like satellite photos, social media coverage, videos posted online, etc., helped to reveal the criminals behind the attack.
• In 2020, a group exploited HUMINT techniques to facilitate a massive Twitter data breach to promote a Bitcoin scam.

Is Google an OSINT Tool?

Yes and no. Search engines such as Google can be great OSINT sources of info to kick off the investigation. These instruments surface information from various sources, which you can process manually. However, if you understand what is open source intelligence, you can realize that Google is not a comprehensive solution. It does not systematize online and offline findings like data aggregators. 

What Is the Dark Side of OSINT?

When conducting open source research, always avoid straying between what is open source intelligence and hacking. Remember: OSINT investigation explores things already posted on the Internet or stored as public offline resources. In contrast, hacking facilitates unauthorized access to networks. This involves exploiting vulnerabilities or using malicious software to bypass security measures to gain access to the information. Don't confuse the two; hacking is illegal and immoral, while open source intelligence can be helpful and ethical. 

However, open source intelligence can also be exploited for dark purposes. In the wrong hands, open source intelligence can enable stalking and harassment by providing access to the personal information of others. Unethical OSINT researches can easily expose real names, home addresses, phone numbers, financial information, or personal relationships without any care about the consequences for a target. Moreover, open source intelligence can gather sensitive information about businesses, including trade secrets, intellectual property, or financial data. 

Is OSINT Legal?

Yes, conducting an OSINT investigation is allowed by the law. Open source intelligence relies on information that is already publicly accessible, meaning it's information that individuals or organizations have intentionally made available to the public. Hence, there is nothing illegal or wrong when exploring online and offline data that has already been exposed. However, be mindful that using open source intelligence techniques to facilitate cybercrime activities like hacking, phishing, or identity theft is illegal. Thus, don't cross the line between what is open source intelligence collection and intrusive violation of privacy.

Elevate Your OSINT Investigation With Molfar

Now that you know what OSINT is used for and how to kick off your investigation by yourself, you can take it a step further with Molfar. Request the help of our OSINT experts to handle a more in-depth investigation of a person of interest, business, military case, or market. Contact us through a form or an email at [email protected] to arrange the conditions of the partnership.