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Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is information gathered from publicly available sources, including websites, public records, media, and commercial databases. Basic OSINT techniques include using search engine operators, reverse image searching, viewing EXIF data, identifying geographical locations, and discovering email addresses. The document also provides examples of problems that can be solved using these techniques, such as finding a person's friends or identifying a town from an image.

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Harsh Jethwani
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3 views

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is information gathered from publicly available sources, including websites, public records, media, and commercial databases. Basic OSINT techniques include using search engine operators, reverse image searching, viewing EXIF data, identifying geographical locations, and discovering email addresses. The document also provides examples of problems that can be solved using these techniques, such as finding a person's friends or identifying a town from an image.

Uploaded by

Harsh Jethwani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Open Source Intelligence(OSINT)

What is OSINT?
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) refers to information collected from publicly
available sources. Unlike classified or proprietary data, OSINT is accessible to anyone
who knows where to look. It includes information from:

● Internet Websites: News sites, blogs, forums, and social media platforms.
● Public Records: Government documents, company filings, and court records.
● Media: Newspapers, magazines, and television broadcasts.
● Commercial Databases: Subscription-based services providing data and
analytics.

Basic OSINT Techniques

Here are some fundamental techniques to get started with OSINT:

1. Using Search Engine Operators

Search engines like Google, Yandex, and Baidu have powerful operators that can refine
your searches:

● Site-Specific Search: site:name.com finds information only from the specified


website.
● AND Operator: Use AND to include both terms in the search results.
● Exact Phrase: "anything" ensures results contain the exact phrase within the
quotes.
● OR Operator: Use OR to include either of the terms in the results.
● Wildcard Search: *anything includes any characters after the asterisk.
● Exclusion: -anything excludes results containing the term after the hyphen.
● In-Text Search: intext:anything searches for text containing the specified term.
● In-URL Search: inurl:anything searches for URLs containing the specified term.
● In-Title Search: intitle:anything searches for titles containing the specified term.
● Google Advanced Search: Use Google Advanced Search for more refined
searches.
2. Reverse Image Searching

To identify the source or variations of an image:

● Google Images: Use Google Reverse Image Search to find similar images and
their sources.
● Yandex Images: Provides more variations of image results.
● TinEye: A reverse image search tool that can show articles related to the image,
though it might show fewer results.

3. Viewing EXIF Data

EXIF data contains metadata about an image, such as the camera settings and location:

● Use EXIF Regex Info or Jimpl to view and analyse EXIF data from images.

4. Identifying Geographical Locations

To find and analyse geographical locations:

● Google Maps & Street View: Use these tools to view and analyse physical
locations and landmarks.
● GeoGuessr: Practise identifying locations in images without obvious clues to
improve your skills.

5. Discovering Email Addresses

To find email addresses associated with people or organisations:

● Hunter.io: Provides email addresses associated with a domain.


● Phonebook.cz: Search for email addresses using a public directory.
● Volianorbert.com: Offers various email lookup tools.
● Clearbit Connect: Find email addresses and details about individuals.
● Email Hippo: Validates and verifies email addresses.
● Email Checker: Checks the validity of email addresses.

PROBLEMS
Q1) My brother is on vacation and wants to meet his friends during school. But he
hasn’t been in touch in a long time. All he had was an Instagram photo story a while ago
before he lost contact. He also lost all contact with his friends. So how to help him?
Here’s the story:
(Hint:use search engine operators and google maps along with street view)

Q2) What is the name of this town?

(Hint: Use Reverse Image Searching)

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