OSINT, cyber intelligence techniques at the service of your business

Open source intelligence (OSINT) is emerging as a set of formidable techniques for collecting and analyzing information accessible on the Internet. In cybersecurity, competitive intelligence and risk management, OSINT reveals potential security threats and vulnerabilities, monitors your e-reputation and sheds light on your competitive strategy. Discover OSINT tools and master this strategic discipline to stay ahead of the curve!

What is OSINT?

OSINT is short for Open Source Intelligence.. It refers to the collection, analysis and use of information from publicly accessible sources. This allows its users to gather and cross-reference data on individuals or organizations from a range of sources: social networks, websites, forums, databases, and many others.

It is important to note that OSINT is not limited to online information. It can also include data from physical sources, such as newspapers, books, or public reports.

To be considered OSINT, information must meet three essential criteria:

1. be obtained from a freely accessible source,
2. be acquired legally,
3. be available free of charge.

Cybersecurity professionals use it for ethical hacking, penetration testing, and identifying external threats. They are not the only ones.

Who is OSINT for?

OSINT is used by several categories of users and professionals:

• Intelligence and national security services, particularly in the military and intelligence fields to collect strategic information.

• Businesses as part of business intelligence to monitor competition, identify market trends and make strategic decisions. They can also control their e-reputation.

• Cybersecurity specialists to identify potential threats and strengthen system security.
  
• Journalists and investigators to carry out investigations and verify the veracity of the information. The newspaper Le Monde has a dedicated OSINT unit.

• The details, to check your own digital presence and manage your e-reputation.

• International organizations and actors in the legal world : For example, the International Criminal Court uses OSINT to build evidence

What is OSINT used for?

If we confine ourselves to the field of cyber security, OSINT represents a goldmine of information that is potentially crucial to the security of organisations. There are several reasons for this:

• Threat monitoring : OSINT allows cybersecurity managers to stay informed of the latest threats, vulnerabilities and attack techniques discussed on specialized forums or social networks.
• Digital Footprint Assessment : Using OSINT, professionals can assess their organization's online exposure and identify sensitive information that could be exploited by malicious actors.
• Early detection of data leaks : OSINT can help quickly detect data leaks by monitoring dark web black markets and other platforms where this information could be put up for sale
• Improved security posture : By understanding how their organization is perceived from the outside, CISOs can identify and correct potential weaknesses in their security infrastructure.
• Support for investigations : In the event of a security incident, OSINT can provide valuable information for attack investigation and attribution.

OSINT Techniques and Tools

The techniques

1. Passive collection

Passive collection involves monitoring and analyzing publicly available information without interacting directly with the sources. This approach has the advantage of being discreet and minimizing the risks of detection. So, professionals can use social media monitoring tools (HootSuite or TweetDeck to follow specific hashtags), RSS feed aggregators, or monitoring platforms (Google Alerts to monitor mentions of a specific company or individual). Another widely used technique: analyzing the metadata of online documents (images, PDF, DOCX, etc.).

2. Active collection

Active collection involves direct interaction with information sources. This may include the use of advanced search engines (Google Dorks, search in patent or registered trademark databases, etc.), the use of scanners (Shodan), of web scrapi techniquesng to extract data from websites, querying databases or Internet archives to find buried information (hidden, deleted or old), or even participating in online forums or discussion groups. Although riskier in terms of detection, this approach can provide more targeted and up-to-date information.

3. Data analysis

Once the data is collected, professionals must analyze it to extract actionable information. Data analysis and visualization tools (Painting, Power BI…), creating an event timeline (TimelineJS…) and artificial intelligence (Perplexity, ChatGPT, IBM Watson…) can be used to identify trends, anomalies or hidden connections in the large amounts of data collected.

The tools

Hundreds of tools are freely available on the Internet. They can be classified into three categories:

Search engines

Certainly, Google (through Google Dorks) and Bing are good tools for finding information. But specialized search engines get great results depending on what you're looking for.

• Google Dorks (or Google hacking)
  Google Dorks are Google's advanced search operators that must be entered into the famous engine's search bar. Here are some commonly used operators:
  • site: limits the search to a specific domain name
  • filetype: searches for files of a particular type
  • intitle: searches for pages with a specific title
  • inurl: searches for pages with a URL containing a specific term
  • intext: searches for pages containing specific text

For example:

• Find PDF files on a specific site:
  site:example.com filetype:pdf

• Search for login pages:
  intitle: »login » inurl: »admin »

• Tfind web pages containing listings of files and directories, which can reveal sensitive information accidentally stored in public areas.
  intitle:"index of"

• Find files containing sensitive information:
  filetype:xls intext: »username » OR intext: »password »

• Look for pages containing "login.php", which may reveal vulnerable login pages or authentication forms.
  site:example.com inurl:login.php

Other specialized search engines:

• Shodan : search engine specializing in Internet-connected devices (IoT) and computer systems. It allows you to find devices online and analyze their configurations. For example, you can identify insecure IoT devices.

• ZoomEye : A search engine that allows users to extract public data from exposed web services and devices. It helps find IP addresses interacting with hosts, networks, open ports on remote servers, total number of hosted websites and devices, and interactive maps of users accessing different devices.

Specialized services

• Maltego : an information visualization tool that allows you to gather data from different sources and represent it in the form of interactive graphs. Very useful for researching relationships between people or mapping company networks.

• SpiderFoot : This open source automated reconnaissance tool gathers information from various sources to produce a detailed profile of a target. Notably, it offers the ability to obtain and analyze IP addresses, CIDR ranges, domains and subdomains, email addresses, phone numbers, usernames, etc.

• Wappalyzer : this very useful service allows security research professionals to quickly identify the technologies (CMS, frameworks, etc.) used on websites.

• TheHarvester : This tool is used to collect information about domains, subdomains, email addresses and employees.

• Seon : this tool is used to verify the digital identity of a person or organization by assigning a risk score based on 50 different social signals. This helps confirm the validity of a customer's email address or phone number and provides further information about their digital footprint.

Specialized frameworks

• OSINT Framework is an impressive collection of OSINT tools organized by categories

Challenges and ethical considerations

1. Information overload

The massive amount of data available can quickly become overwhelming. According to a study, 61% data teams feel overwhelmed by the mass of information to process. CISOs must therefore develop effective strategies to filter and prioritize relevant information.

2. Data reliability

Not all information found through OSINT is necessarily reliable or current. This is why professionals must develop a keen critical sense and implement rigorous verification processes to ensure the quality of the information used.

3. Respect for privacy

Although the information collected is publicly accessible, its use must be done in compliance with data protection and privacy laws. Professionals must be particularly vigilant not to cross the line between legitimate information collection and invasion of privacy.

4. Legal framework

The use of OSINT must be done within a strict legal framework. In fact, investigators must ensure that their practices comply with current laws and regulations, particularly with regard to the collection and processing of personal data.

Train in OSINT to improve IT cybersecurity

OSINT represents a powerful tool for cybersecurity professionals in their mission to protect their organization's information systems. Integrating it wisely into your security arsenal constitutes a strategic resource.

By providing a better understanding of the organization's threat environment and online exposure, OSINT helps significantly strengthen the overall security posture. However, its effective use requires a thoughtful and structured approach, taking into account the technical, ethical and legal challenges it raises.

This is why mastering OSINT has become an essential skill for any professional wishing to excel in cybersecurity. As such, ORSYS offers more than 170 international cybersecurity training and certifications within its Cyber Academy, thus meeting all needs.