🕵️‍♂️ The Ultimate Guide to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)

🕵️‍♂️ The Ultimate Guide to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)

Want to gather publicly available intelligence like a pro? OSINT is used in cybersecurity, investigations, pentesting & even hacking!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to OSINT tools & techniques. 🧵

1️⃣ What is OSINT?

🔹 OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) is the process of collecting & analyzing publicly available data from the internet.
🔹 Used for cybersecurity, investigations, ethical hacking, and even journalism.

✅ Common OSINT Use Cases:
🔍 Investigating cyber threats & breaches
🔍 Finding leaked credentials & exposed data
🔍 Tracking malicious actors
🔍 Conducting security assessments
🔍 Researching people & organizations

2️⃣ OSINT Techniques for People Search 🕵️‍♂️

Want to find information on someone’s online presence? Try these:

🔹 Google Dorking — Advanced Google search queries to find hidden info.
🔹 Social Media OSINT — Check LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
🔹 WHOIS Lookup — Find domain ownership details (who.is, whoxy.com).
🔹 Pipl & Spokeo — Search for people, emails, and phone numbers.
🔹 HaveIBeenPwned — Check if an email/password has been leaked in a breach.

🔎 Google Dorking Example:
site:linkedin.com "John Doe" "Cybersecurity" → Finds LinkedIn profiles of John Doe in cybersecurity.

3️⃣ OSINT Tools for Cybersecurity 🔥

Here are some powerful tools used for cyber investigations:

🔹 Shodan — Find exposed IoT devices, servers, webcams.
🔹 theHarvester — Collect emails, domains, subdomains.
🔹 Maltego — Visualize relationships between entities.
🔹 OSINT Framework — A collection of OSINT tools (https://osintframework.com).
🔹 SpiderFoot — Automate OSINT investigations.

💡 Want to see how exposed your network is? Try searching your IP on Shodan: https://shodan.io

4️⃣ OSINT for Website & Domain Investigations 🌐

Want to research a website or company? Here’s how:

🔹 WHOIS Lookup — Find domain owner details (https://who.is).
🔹 Wayback Machine — View old versions of a website (https://archive.org/web).
🔹 DNSDumpster — Find subdomains & DNS records (https://dnsdumpster.com).
🔹 Hunter.io — Find emails associated with a domain.
🔹 Google Dorks — Search for sensitive files, logs, & open directories.

🔎 Example Google Dorks:
site:example.com filetype:pdf → Finds PDFs on the website.
intitle:"index of" site:example.com → Finds open directories.

5️⃣ Social Media OSINT 📲

People reveal a lot on social media. Here’s how to gather intel:

🔹 Twitter OSINT — Use Twitter Advanced Search (from:@username to find tweets).
🔹 Facebook Graph Search – Search posts, comments, likes.
🔹 Instagram & TikTok – Look at hashtags, geotags, followers.
🔹 LinkedIn Recon – Use tools like theHarvester to scrape profiles.

💡 Tool for analyzing Twitter activity:
👉 https://www.whopostedwhat.com/

6️⃣ OSINT for Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) 🛡️

Want to track cyber threats? Use these OSINT sources:

🔹 AlienVault OTX — Threat intelligence feeds.
🔹 AbuseIPDB — Check if an IP is blacklisted.
🔹 VirusTotal — Scan files & URLs for malware.
🔹 Censys.io — Similar to Shodan, scans open ports/services.
🔹 Breach Forums — Find leaked credentials (use with caution).

✅ Example: Want to check if an IP is linked to cybercrime? Search it on https://www.abuseipdb.com

7️⃣ Protect Yourself from OSINT Attacks 🚨

Hackers use OSINT to gather data about YOU. Here’s how to protect yourself:

✅ Remove personal info from data broker sites (use services like DeleteMe).
✅ Limit public social media info — Adjust privacy settings!
✅ Use burner emails & phone numbers for online sign-ups.
✅ Monitor your digital footprint — Google your name often.
✅ Use a VPN to hide your IP address.

💡 Want to check what info is available on you? Try https://www.peekyou.com

🔚 Final Thoughts

OSINT is a powerful skill — whether you’re a cybersecurity pro, ethical hacker, journalist, or just curious!

💬 What’s your favorite OSINT tool or technique? Drop a comment!
#CyberSecurity #OSINT #Hacking #EthicalHacking #InfoSec