Key takeways: Identifying the Open Source Intelligence that is ideal for your business or agency can effectively minimize your vulnerability to cyber-attacks. The initial step is to locate this intelligence. In this article, let’s understand the functioning of OSINT, Open Source Intelligence tools, techniques, and its strategies for safeguarding cybersecurity.
In this article, we will learn about open-source intelligence and explore the array of OSINT tools currently accessible in the market. When we perform any online search activity, we typically see multiple pages in search results. We only go through the first page and if we don’t find the desired information on it, we tend to pause our search.
However, have you ever wondered about the amount of data present within those endless pages of search results? It’s all about gathering valuable “information”! While tools play a crucial role, it’s equally important to understand how to effectively utilize them; otherwise, users may find themselves at a loss.
Therefore, before going into the specifics of the tools, let’s first grasp a clear understanding of what OSINT means and the potential benefits it offers.
OSINT full form: ‘Open-source intelligence’ refers to the procedure of gathering information from publicly available sources. IT security professionals, hackers, and intelligence experts use advanced methodologies to screen through a vast pool of data to locate specific information that aligns with their objectives.
OSINT is a part of operational security (OPSEC), which consists of the measures taken by organizations to safeguard public data. This public data, if analyzed effectively, could unveil sensitive truths.
Security teams within organizations conduct OSINT operations to strengthen their operational security. The objective is to figure out potentially sensitive information that the company might not be aware is publicly accessible.
This enables them to secure any exposed data and figure out the type of information an attacker possesses about the organization. This information plays a crucial role in risk assessment, allocation of security resources, and enhancement of security protocols and policies.
Open-source intelligence involves the collection of information from publicly accessible sources, including social media, news articles, government records, and public filings. OSINT techniques play a major role in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting this data to extract insights and guide decision-making processes.
Here are some of the common open source intelligence techniques:
By integrating the above-mentioned techniques, one can gather information as well as intelligence.
OSINT plays a critical role in navigating through the vast and cluttered chaos of the information pool. We will talk about some of the widely used OSINT tools below along with their features and pros and cons. Let’s get started!
BuiltWith
Starting Price
₹ 20650.00 excl. GST
BuiltWith serves as a web technology profiler. This helps understand different technologies, platforms, and tech stacks used in the development of any website. It encompasses analytics platforms, advertising networks, content management systems (CMS), and more.
For instance, it helps understand whether any website uses Joomla, Drupal, or WordPress as its content management system. It further generates a list of CSS/JavaScript libraries that any website uses.
Further, by using this software, one can generate a list of different plugins that have been installed on any server information, frameworks, websites, or tracking information. Apart from that, you can also integrate BuiltWith with any website scanner like WPScan to detect the threats impacting your website.
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Cons
Shodan operates as an advanced search engine for internet-connected devices, facilitating the exploration and information gathering across devices such as servers, routers, cameras, IOTs, and industrial control systems.
It is further used to detect any vulnerabilities or open ports on systems. Moreover, some of the tools like theHarvester treat Shodan like a data source with the help of deep interaction.
It is one of the engines that help examine OTs (operational technology) used in places like manufacturing facilities and power plants.
Apart from examining devices like building sensors, cameras, security devices, and more, it can also be used to examine video games to figure out Counterstrike and Minecraft. The Freelancer license of Shodan can be used to scan around 5,120+ IP addresses/month.
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Google Dorks are advanced search operators utilized with Google’s search syntax to find out specific types of information including keywords, file types, and website structures. Google stands out as one of the most widely used search engines for locating information on the internet.
When conducting a single search, the results encompass hundreds of pages, arranged in descending order of relevance. It showcases a wide range of content, including advertisements, websites, social media posts, images, and more.
To enhance the precision and efficiency of search results, users can employ Google Dorks to refine their searches or index the results in a more targeted manner.
| If a user wishes to search “usernames” specifically within PDF files and not websites, they can use specific indexing options, such as: “Inurl:” to pinpoint a specific string within the URL of a webpage. “Intitle:” which allows searching for a keyword within the title of a webpage. “Ext:” to focus the search on a particular file extension, such as PDF. “Intext:” enabling the search for specific text contained within a webpage. These techniques are sometimes referred to as “Google hacking” and enhance search precision and efficiency. |
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Maltego by Paterva is widely used by security experts and forensic investigators to gather and scrutinize open-source intelligence. It facilitates the collection of information from diverse sources and applies different Transforms to produce visual representations of data.
The Transforms are pre-installed and can also be tailored to specific needs. Developed in Java, Maltego is included in Kali Linux as a pre-packaged tool. Users need to register to use Maltego, and the registration process is free of charge. After registration, users can use this tool to establish the online footprint of a specific target.
Moreover, Maltego works as a link analysis tool for open-source intelligence inquiries and threat evaluations. It facilitates mapping relationships among individuals, entities, infrastructure, and assorted data nodes.
Pros
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SpiderFoot is a no-cost tool that connects with various data sources to collect and analyze multiple elements like IP addresses, domains, email addresses, phone numbers, Bitcoin addresses, and more. It is accessible on GitHub and offers a command-line interface alongside an integrated web server for a user-friendly web-based GUI experience.
With a repository of over 200 modules, Spiderfoot is perfect for red teaming tasks, allowing users to extract extensive information about their targets or identify online exposures of themselves and their organization.
Pros
Cons
theHarvester is designed to extract public information beyond an organization’s internal network. It primarily focuses on external sources, making it valuable for penetration testing activities. This tool uses various sources including search engines like Bing and Google, dogpile, DNSdumpster, Exalead meta data engine, Netcraft Data Mining, and AlienVault Open Threat Exchange.
Additionally, it leverages the Shodan search engine to identify open ports on identified hosts by gathering emails, names, subdomains, IPs, and URLs. Accessing most public sources with ease, theHarvester requires specific API keys for certain sources and a Python 3.6 or higher environment.
Pros
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Intelligence X is a search engine preserving old web pages and removing leaked datasets for objectionable or legal reasons. Unlike Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, Intelligence X focuses on preserving all types of datasets without discrimination.
It has archived sensitive data such as vulnerable Fortinet VPN lists, exposed plaintext passwords, emails from political figures, Capitol Hill riot footage, and Facebook’s 533 million leaked profiles, providing valuable insights to intel collectors, analysts, journalists, and researchers.
Pros
Cons
Have I Been Pwned? (HIBP) by Troy Hunt facilitates users to verify if their email address has been compromised in any documented data breaches. It checks for any email data breach for user verification, which is especially valuable for confirming the existence of an email address.
HIBP remains the top choice for quickly searching email addresses and contact numbers in these data leaks, and the best part is that it’s entirely free to use.
Pros
Cons
There are different types of OSINTs present in the market to collect and analyze publicly available information and gain insights into individuals, organizations, or events.
The different types of OSINT include social media, news media, web-based, open-data, government, images, and more. Through these techniques, investigators can gather information about their target effectively.
Within IT, fulfilling three key tasks is essential for OSINT. These include identifying public-facing assets, searching for external information, and organizing discovered data for actionable insights. Let’s understand them in detail:
The primary function of OSINT is to assist IT teams in discovering public-facing assets and analyzing the information each asset holds, contributing to potential vulnerabilities.
The focus lies in documenting publicly available details about company assets, excluding tasks like identifying program vulnerabilities or conducting market penetration tests.
Open-source intelligence technique seeks pertinent information beyond the organization’s boundaries. It includes social media content or data from domains and locations outside a tightly controlled network.
This feature proves especially important for organizations undergoing frequent acquisitions, integrating IT assets from merged companies.
Lastly, OSINT helps in organizing and categorizing the gathered information into actionable intelligence. Conducting an OSINT scan for a large enterprise can yield a substantial volume of results.
Streamlining this data and prioritizing critical issues can significantly enhance operational efficiency.
The open source intelligence framework serves as a repository of data sources and links leading to useful tools for data exploration and organization. It offers multiple tools to devise a search strategy inclined towards specific data types, such as vehicle registration details or email addresses, for optimal results.
One of the reasons behind the popularity is the abundance of OSINT tools designed for Linux systems. Moreover, this directory presents tools that can be conveniently operated via a web browser, with installation options available for various operating systems.
The collection of open source information tools enables users to uncover information ranging from basic phone numbers to IP addresses and email addresses, along with capabilities for delving into the Dark Web and analyzing potentially malicious files.
Beginners can benefit from tutorials and interactive games to get help with information exploration, with additional resources like software solutions for Virtual Machines.
The OSINT Framework includes training sections featuring guides on research methods. This foundational knowledge can empower users to navigate the extensive list of tools and data sources effectively for targeted research.
| Parameters | BuiltWith | Shodan | Google Dorks | Maltego | SpiderFoot | theHarvester | Intelligence X | Have I Been Pwned? | TinEye |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | OSINT Tool | Vulnerability Scanner | Search Engine | Link Analysis Tool | OSINT Tool | OSINT Tool | Paid Recon Tool | Data Breach Checker | Reverse Image Search |
| Data Source | Websites | Publicly Available Devices | Search Engines: Google | Public Data Sources | Public Data Sources and APIs | Public Data Sources, APIs | Private Databases | Inbuilt Database | Public Images |
| Target | Websites | Devices (IoT, Servers etc.) | Websites & Files | Entities (People, Companies etc.) | Websites & Emails | Websites, Emails, Nameservers etc. | People, Organizations, Assets | Email Addresses | Images |
| Features | Technology Identification, Contact Info, Lead Generation | Search for Vulnerable Devices, Exploit Discovery | Find Specific Websites & Files, Competitive Intelligence | Link Visualization, Entity Relationship Mapping | Social Media Monitoring, IP Geolocation, DNS Records | Email Discovery, Web Enumeration, Pastebin Scraping | Dark Web Monitoring, Social Listening, Leak Detection | Check for Breached Email Addresses | Find Similar or Related Images |
| Cost | Freemium | Freemium & Paid Plans | Free | Paid | Freemium & Paid Plans | Free & Paid Plans | Paid | Free | Free |
The significance of OSINT against cyber threats is very important. The access to an array of open source intelligence tools enables security professionals and investigators to gather, scrutinize, and interpret publicly available information for crucial insights.
By identifying public-facing assets, searching for external relevant data, and organizing discovered information, these tools contribute to assessing vulnerabilities, conducting threat evaluations, and enhancing operational security.
Leveraging OSINT techniques like social media examination, advanced search utilization, and open data retrieval, OSINT facilitates comprehensive information gathering.
Additionally, these solutions offer a rich repository of tools and resources, empowering users to analyze varied data sources effectively. Open source intelligence tools play a crucial role in enhancing cybersecurity practices and contributing to informed decision-making for organizations and investigative activities.
An open-source intelligence tool is software used to gather and analyze publicly available information from various sources such as the internet, social media, and public records. These tools help in information collection, threat analysis, and decision-making in fields like cybersecurity and intelligence operations.
Open-source intelligence refers to the practice of gathering and analyzing information from publicly available sources like social media, the internet, and public records. It provides valuable insights for various purposes, including cybersecurity, threat analysis, and strategic decision making.
There are multiple types of OSINT available including social media, news media, web-based, open-data, government, images, and more. Using the combination of different types of OSINT, investigators can effectively gather important information about their target. These distinct approaches offer different methods for intelligence collection and analysis from open sources.
An example of OSINT is monitoring social media platforms for public information such as tweets, posts, or photos to gather intelligence. This practice involves analyzing publicly available data from different sources to extract relevant insights for various purposes like security assessments, investigations, and threat monitoring.
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