08/08/2024
We present an overview of the top 10 OSINT tools worth attention in 2024. These tools can be helpful for journalists working with OSINT, cybersecurity specialists, private detectives, or anyone interested in OSINT. Verified by Molfar analysts, we frequently use these tools in our work. They offer extensive capabilities for data collection, analysis, and interpretation. These tools enable an OSINT agent to effectively aggregate data about individuals, find contacts, and identify sanctioned companies.
Top-10 OSINT Tools for Professional Analysts in 2024
In cybersecurity and investigative journalism, OSINT tools have become indispensable aids. This article will review the best OSINT tools for analysts and provide tips on using them. Understanding specific tools is essential. We have compiled a list of the ten most effective and powerful tools to help you find the necessary information, analyze data, and conduct deep OSINT investigations faster and more efficiently.
The tools we discuss here allow for efficient data collection, analysis, and interpretation from open sources. First, these OSINT tools help quickly find the needed information, saving time and resources. They can help uncover hidden web pages and find contact information or social media profiles. These OSINT tools also allow the analysis of large volumes of data. Combining these software solutions will enable you to gather and process information from various sources, ultimately creating a complete picture for investigations. The third important aspect is security and privacy. Using OSINT tools can be safe only when you adhere to ethical standards, comply with the law, and ensure security, especially by using a VPN. Overall, these tools are indispensable for professionals.
In this article, we will discuss:
- RocketReach – Finds contact information.
- OpenSanctions – Searches for sanctioned individuals and companies.
- PimEyes – Recognizes faces and searches for people.
- WhatsMyName – Searches for social media accounts.
- 411 – Find contact information and people.
- X-Ray – Aggregates data about individuals.
- People Finder – Searches for people and their contact information.
- Whitepages – Provides complete access to information about people.
- 192 – Searches by name, phone number, or address in the UK.
- PeopleLooker – A comprehensive tool for gathering data about individuals.
RocketReach: An OSINT tool that allows integration with CRM systems
RocketReach is an OSINT tool that allows you to find contact information, including email addresses, phone numbers, and social media profiles, for professionals and companies. Its primary function is to collect data from various sources and provide accurate contact details, making reaching out to the right individuals or organizations easier.
How to Use RocketReach
RocketReach has powerful algorithms for searching contact information in large databases, including social networks, public profiles, company websites, and other open sources.
It is easily integrated into various CRM systems, allowing you to effortlessly add contacts you found to your existing databases. All search processes can be automated. This OSINT tool is used mainly in marketing and sales. Still, it is also very useful for those involved in OSINT investigations.
It also features verification and validation functions for the found contact information, ensuring its relevance and accuracy.
It can be used in marketing and sales. It's easy to find new clients or partners. For example, the marketing department can use RocketReach to gather executives' contact information within their target audience and send them personalized offers.
Recruiters can use RocketReach to find and connect with potential job candidates. For instance, a recruiter can find contact information for professionals in a specific field and email or phone them to offer job opportunities.
Journalists can use RocketReach to find contact information for experts or key individuals for interviews or investigations. For example, a journalist can find the contact details of scientists to get comments on current scientific issues.
Public relations and PR specialists can use RocketReach to find contact information for journalists, bloggers, and influencers to send them press releases and other materials.
Overall, this is a quick and efficient OSINT tool. RocketReach will save a lot of time. The search is convenient and intuitive. With its validation feature, RocketReach ensures high accuracy of information. Among its advantages is its easy integration with CRM systems. Another important aspect is the extensive database. It allows finding contact information even for hard-to-reach or little-known individuals and organizations.
OpenSanctions — checking against sanctions lists
OpenSanctions specializes in finding information about individuals and companies under sanctions. It aggregates data from various official and verified sources, including government sanctions lists, international organizations, and other reputable institutions. The primary goal of OpenSanctions is to provide access to up-to-date information on sanctions lists to support analytical, research, and business processes.
It can be used to search for individuals and companies. By entering a name or company name, OpenSanctions checks the sanctions lists. If sanctions are found, the tool provides detailed information, including the data source, type of sanctions (economic, visa, trade, etc.), the reason for the sanctions, and other details.
OpenSanctions visualizes all connections directly. It shows the companies and individuals associated with the entity in question, allowing for the identification of networks of influence and interactions. The tool also provides additional information about familial and corporate relationships.
Financial institutions, research organizations, and journalists use the OpenSanctions tool. Banks and other financial institutions use this tool to check clients and partners against sanctions lists. Analysts and researchers use OpenSanctions to study the impact of sanctions on the economy, politics, and other vital areas. Journalists often turn to this tool for investigations related to international sanctions and their effects on specific individuals and companies.
Tips for using OpenSanctions:
- Regular Checks: To ensure data relevance, using OpenSanctions to check new clients and partners is recommended.
- Data Verification: Always verify the obtained information to confirm its accuracy and suitability for your needs.
- Compliance with Legislation: Use the tool by current sanctions and data protection laws.
PimEyes — facial recognition search for identifying individuals
It is an online facial recognition service that allows you to quickly search for a person using a photo. The tool uses advanced computer vision algorithms and machine learning to identify individuals. It finds images from various sources on the Internet.
This tool is helpful for individuals who want to check where their photos appear on the Internet. For example, suppose you are concerned that your image is being used without your permission. In that case, PimEyes can help you find such instances. The service analyzes the uploaded photo and compares it with millions of other images on the web, including social networks, public profiles, and news sites.
Besides personal use, PimEyes is valuable for OSINT professionals. Recruiters can verify the authenticity of job candidate profiles, and journalists can find additional information about individuals featured in articles or investigations. It is also an excellent tool for detecting fake accounts and verifying the authenticity of information.
PimEyes was created by Poles and has gained popularity due to its accuracy and ease of use. The service offers additional paid features, such as detailed reports and notifications about newly found images. Therefore, it is beneficial for those who want to monitor their images' use on the Internet continuously.
WhatsMyName – account search tool
It helps find a person's profile on social networks. To search, you only need the username of the person you seek. The service allows you to detect a person's presence on various websites. The search is conducted through social networks, forums, photo-sharing sites, and video platforms. The tool can also help verify if the found profiles are genuine by comparing data from different sources.
The advantages of WhatsMyName include search speed and a variety of sources. For maximum effectiveness, different variations of usernames are recommended. Results should always be double-checked. This service works best when combined with others.
Using 411.info for OSINT
411.info is a popular service in the USA for searching information about people, companies, and businesses by name, phone number, or address. It provides access to vast data, including contact information, addresses, and other public data.
People Search:
- You need to put the full name of the person you seek into the gap.
- This OSINT service will provide results with information about the address, phone number, and other available data.
Reverse Phone Lookup:
- You need a phone number to find the owner of the number.
- The service will provide results with the name, address, and additional information about the owner.
Address Lookup:
- You need at least a partial address.
- 411 will provide information about the people living at that address, their phone numbers, and other data.
In the USA, 411.info is used, for example, to check new employees, tenants, or neighbors. You need to enter a name or address. Suppose you have lost contact with a friend or relative. In that case, 411.info can help find their new address or phone number, making reconnecting easier.
The service is also helpful in checking unknown phone numbers from the USA.
411.info can also be helpful for people in Europe. For example, if someone is looking for information about someone from the United States.
X-Ray Contact — data search and connection analysis
One of the most effective OSINT tools is X-Ray Contact. Analysts can quickly find the necessary information and understand the connections between subjects.
With its help, you can search for information by email, phone number, photo, name, and username. X-Ray Contact uses various data sources. Its primary function is aggregating different types of information about a person.
The service is helpful in the following cases:
- Conducting background checks on individuals.
- Reverse lookup by usernames.
- Discovering additional information about a person from open sources.
X-Ray Contact gathers data from various sources such as social networks, public databases, news, websites, blogs, and other open sources.
Among the advantages of this service are speed and accuracy. X-Ray can quickly collect a large amount of data from different sources and provide precise information about the connections between individuals or organizations.
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People Finder — people search in the USA
People Finder is a service that allows you to search for people in the USA using various criteria, including police records, social media, and photos. This service can benefit investigations, identity verification, or OSINT investigations.
There are several ways to use People Finder. The first is searching through police records. You must enter the person's name, date of birth, or other identifying information. The service then provides information from police records, including arrests and court records. The second option is social media search, where you can search by username, email, or other known data. It finds profiles on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The third option is reverse photo search.
Examples of use:
- Crime Investigations: Law enforcement agencies can use People Finder to identify suspects or locate missing persons by utilizing police records and other available data.
- Identity Verification: Companies can use People Finder to verify the identity of new employees or clients by using data from social media, police records, and other sources.
- Journalistic Investigations with OSINT: Journalists can use People Finder to gather information about their investigation subjects, including their assets and online presence.
Whitepages is a data aggregator from the USA.
Whitepages is a well-known aggregator of information about people in the USA. It provides a wide range of information about private individuals. This OSINT tool collects and processes data from various sources, such as public records, telephone directories, social networks, and other accessible resources. Using Whitepages, you can find:
- Contact information: phone numbers, residential addresses, and email addresses.
- Family members' names include information about relatives and other individuals living at the same address.
- Background checks: data on criminal records, financial history, court cases, and other public records.
Examples of using Whitepages:
- Contact information search: You can find people's phone numbers and addresses by their name.
- Background check: The tool allows you to perform background checks to obtain information about criminal records, financial matters, and other data.
- Search for relatives and acquaintances: Find information about relatives and individuals connected to the person.
- Search for lost contacts: Locate lost friends or relatives by their old phone numbers or addresses.
The usefulness of the tool:
- Speed and convenience: Whitepages provide quick access to much information, saving time compared to manual searches.
- Data reliability: By using verified sources, the service ensures high accuracy and relevance of the information.
- Variety of features: Whitepages offers numerous data collection and analysis tools, from contact searches to background checks.
You can use Whitepages to search for information about people in the USA using the following link: Whitepages.
192.com — Information Search in the United Kingdom
192.com is a popular service in the United Kingdom for searching information about people by name, phone number, or address. The service aggregates data from various sources, including public records, telephone directories, and electoral rolls. Using 192.com, you can find:
- Names and addresses: Information about residences associated with a particular name.
- Phone numbers: Contact phone numbers for private individuals and businesses.
- Address history: Previous residential addresses of a person.
- Neighbors: Information about people living nearby.
- Business details: Information about companies, their addresses, and contact details.
- Criminal records: Some databases may include criminal records or court cases.
Using the OSINT service 192.com, you can find various information about people, their addresses, and contact details. For example, you can find information about a person's address and contacts.
On the 192.com website, you also have the option to search by phone number. If you are trying to find information about people living at a specific address, enter the full or partial address. As a result, you can find out who lives at that address and their phone numbers.
PeopleLooker — Contact, Address, and Criminal Record Checks in the USA
PeopleLooker is a tool that provides access to information about people, including contact details, address history, criminal records, financial history, and other public information. The service aggregates data from various sources, such as public records, social networks, and other accessible resources.
PeopleLooker is an online service that searches for and verifies information about people. Similar to the previous tool, it allows you to find a person's address, phone number, email address, and more, but only within the USA. The main advantage of PeopleLooker is the accuracy and relevance of the data provided, which is based on verified sources.
Therefore, the described OSINT tools can be helpful for various tasks. These services are indispensable in open-source investigations. They allow for quickly finding contacts, verifying background information, analyzing networks of connections, and locating individuals based on various criteria.
