First steps into the world of OSINT

The goal of this article is to help direct those looking to dip their toes or dive into the world of Open Source Intelligence.

Specifically the theme is surrounding the OSINT community rather than the practical applications of OSINT gathering.

There are hundreds of tools, resources and services which can be applicable to any investigation, but the key message I try to instill to any of my OSINT students is that it is a mindset and a way of thinking as each individual investigation differs based on the objective, scope and available sources, in terms of the line of inquiry there is no definitive 'blueprint' or set outline as to where to begin and how to proceed.

Typically the key principal is to identify opportunities to pivot from source to source whilst still maintaining relevance to the scope and objective at hand. Without a certain level of discipline we can find ourselves falling down a rabbit hole leading the course of our investigation further and further away from where we need to be. This usually happens gradually but then instant realization can hit us that we are way too far off scope so it is about finding that sweet point between creative curiosity and a clearly defined scope.

Lets say we have one single case assigned to multiple analysts, even though each of them may arrive to the same conclusion often times each analyst would have taken separate paths, used different tools and methods in order to collect and analyze the data which in my opinion is the beauty of OSINT and why the Open Source community is so important as a fresh set of eyes can often be an effective tactic when you hit a 'roadblock' on an investigation.

So lets ignore the tools, training and services etc. for this article and take a look at some links to help you submerge yourself into the incredible and supportive community of OSINT.

My first recommendation would be to begin with a fresh twitter profile!

Twitter in my opinion is one of the best mediums for interaction with the community and those within it. Also a good point to make is that you can easily switch between multiple profiles all within the twitter app.

For example: I have multiple twitter accounts under various pseudonyms/handles, each one themed specific such as one that just posts and follows others associated to OSINT, one themed around infosec and then my personal one for friends and family. This means that I have constant topic specific feeds that are updated all the time with new articles, points of interest, resources, etc.

If you really wanted to go 'all out' you could establish additional categorized themes such as each account themed around those who specialize in individual elements of OSINT be that GEOINT, SOCMINT, Imagery, Corporate, Extremism, etc.

@OSINTJustInCase : Full disclosure this is my OSINT related twitter handle :) feel free to follow and use your OSINT skills to go through my list of those I follow as they are all OSINT related so go check them out I promise you wont regret it as it includes over 300 profiles which will help to shape your OSINT network!

So lets look at some heavy hitters in the world of OSINT and some great places to start!

Inteltechniques

Micheal Bazzell is an ex-FBI agent with an incredible insight to Privacy, Security and OSINT, his website hosts multiple resources including blog and a very knowledgeable podcast which I highly recommend, he is also the author of a range of books which can be purchased on Amazon covering topics such as OSINT and Extreme Privacy.

Website: https://inteltechniques.com/

Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-98066669/

Books: https://inteltechniques.com/books.html

Twitter: @Inteltechniques

OSINTCURIOUS

These guys are some of my favorites! It is a collection of industry leading professionals which all come together to share their abundance of collective experience with anyone willing to listen, their regular webcasts can be found at their youtube channel as well as various ten minute tips videos, they also invite other special guests onto the show to share insight on various aspects. We will look at some of the members individually also.

Website: https://osintcurio.us/

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzceWf-OT3ImIKztzGkipA

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/osintcurious

Twitter: @OSINTCurious

NixIntel

NixIntel is the handle for one of the members of the OSINTCurious project who has proven to be a worthy addition to the team as his blog hosts in-depth articles of various case studies, techniques and methods of OSINT, I have seen this guy successfully conduct some of the most difficult Quiztime challenges there is, his investigative process is incredible!

Website: https://nixintel.info/

Twitter: @Nixintel

MW-OSINT

Matthias is a formidable player in the industry being a former SIGINT team lead in Germany's foreign Intelligence agency he has been involved in many mission critical operations throughout the middle east throughout his career. His blogs and posts are extremely insightful and a great opportunity to learn.

Website: https://www.keyfindings.blog/

Twitter: @MWOsint

Dutch OSINT guy

Dutch OSINT guy is exactly what it says on the tin :) He is a dutch guy with a wealth of experience within OSINT Investigations, OPSEC and Security Investigations as well as having an operational backround in counter-terrorism.

Website: https://www.dutchosintguy.com

Twitter: @dutch_osintguy

Sector035

Sector is one of my favorite when it comes to Geolocation, he is one of the main coordinators of the Quiztime challenges although his background is somewhat of a mystery as his OPSEC game is strong with the use of a catchy handle and an elaborate avatar it is difficult to identify who is behind the persona but what is clearly evident is that he is seriously talented and knowledgeable in this field!

Blog: https://www.medium.com/@sector035

Twitter: @sector035

OSINT Techniques

OSINT Techniques is a really good association to follow, they host a goldmine of helpful links to categorized resources as well as writing and sharing some really detailed articles via their blog!

Website: https://www.osinttechniques.com

Blog: https://www.osinttechniques.com/blog

Twitter: @osinttechniques

WebBreacher

Micah is the 'Godfather' of the OSINTCURIOUS project, that term is no reflection of his young age but due to the fact that he was the initial brains and founder of the OsintCurious project, he has helped to align all of these experienced pro's under the same roof (figuratively speaking). You can check out Micahs blog on his website below.

Website: https://webbreacher.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WebBreacher

Technisette

Technisette has over a decade of experience in OSINT research and offers a free comprehensive library of external resources via her website as well as being a member of the OSINTCurious team.

Website: https://www.technisette.com/p/home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/technisette

Benjamin Strick

Ben is personally one of my favorite investigative journalists to follow in the world of OSINT. He has worked alongside Bellincat as well as some incredible investigative work within his position with BBC Africa Eye. Ben's analytical mindset is fascinating, so much so that when teaching OSINT I find Ben's work to be some of the best case studies to cover as they help provide a clear and detailed example of the importance of OSINT in today's world and how it offers a reputable level of transparency specifically within global conflict and international journalism.

Website: https://benjaminstrick.com

Bellingcat Articles: https://www.bellingcat.com/author/benjaminstrick/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenDoBrown

Bellingcat

Bellingcat Is an Independent collection of Investigative journalists who specialize in using OSINT during the course of their investigations. They have helped to bring the world of OSINT to the global table and be taken seriously in the eyes of International media outlets, so much so that they have almost single handedly backed the Russian Intelligence service into a corner on more than one occasion!

Website: https://www.bellingcat.com/

Podcasts: https://www.bellingcat.com/category/resources/podcasts/

Documentary: https://www.bellingcatfilm.com/

Elliot Higgins (Founder): https://twitter.com/eliothiggins

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bellingcat

Loránd Bodo

Loránd Is another heavy hitter and member of the OSINTCurious team. He specializes around Terrorism and offers some great resources and articles via his Start.me page.

Start.Me page: radter-osint.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorandBodo

Alternative sources:

Ok so I really could go on for days and include hundreds more influential people within the OSINT Community but I think those I have mentioned are a great starting point and opportunities to pivot onto more and more as you fall down the OSINT community rabbit hole.

There are also some alternative sources for articles that can help shape your knowledge and improve your investigative skills and being the creative creatures we are lets use some google dorks to try find some more.

Medium: Medium is a great platform within the community which allows you to share articles without the need for your own website to host it.

Google-Dork: "OSINT" Site:medium.com

Start.me

Start.me is another incredible platform which allows users to create and share a dashboard hosting links to all sorts of good stuff such as external tools, programs, resources, articles, etc. There are an abundance of great OSINT themed dashboards so take the time to go through them and you can start your own dashboard use it to save some of your favorite useful links you find on other dashboards.

Google-Dork: "OSINT" site:start.me

NullByte

I first came across Nullbyte on youtube a number of years ago when starting out in Infosec and Pentesting although since then he has covered various different OSINT based tutorials so they are worth checking out.

Website: null-byte.wonderhowto.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgTNupxATBfWmfehv21ym-g

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nullbyte/

Google-Dork: "OSINT" Site:null-byte.wonderhowto.com

There should be enough within medium and start.me to keep you busy for weeks, if not months! But as always get creative and tweak the google dorks to find more specific categories such as "SOCMINT", "GEOINT", etc.

So the OSINT community is not just a one way street, you can also help out and get involved in a number of different ways.

OpenSourceLeads Is kind of the outreach arm of Bellingcat often times during the course of their investigations they can appeal for some help by members of the community. So feel free to lend a hand if possible and help them to continue in carrying out the amazing and vital work they do.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpenSourceLeads

Europol: Stop Child Abuse - Trace an object

This is a project set up where europol appeal to the community to help identify or trace an object which was in the backround of child exploitation images online.

Website: https://www.europol.europa.eu/stopchildabuse

TraceLabs

TraceLabs is an organization that hosts CTF (Capture The Flag) Style competitions that try to aid Law Enforcement in the search for Missing People. They also offer some great prizes for teams with the top results.

Website: https://www.tracelabs.org/

Fun ways to practice and improve your skills

QuizTime is one of my favorite ways to keep skills relevant and learn new and exciting ways to geolocate images and answer other challenging questions, the Quiztime platform is a way for everyone to get involved, it also offers a great example of how OSINT is a mindset as you can see how many others conducted their investigations in different ways but came out with the same conclusions.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quiztime

Medium: https://medium.com/quiztime

CyberSoc Wales: Cyber Detective CTF

This is an absolutely amazing collection of Cyber related CTF style challenges simply create an account and get started on trying your hand at the multitude of challenges available on the platform. Some of the tasks are more digital forensically focused although many of them are OSINT based. You will really enjoy this trust me it is exciting and informative!!

Website: https://ctf.cybersoc.wales/

OK i think I best stop there as like I said before the OSINT Commnity is a vast ocean of supportive and creative people and resources so dive in and begin to network, learn and most importantly enjoy!

To anyone I have not included please forgive me as there are so so many more I would love to include but feel free to begin a thread in the comments and include anything you feel may help others to get started with our amazing community.

On a personal note I would like to thank everyone who has ever contributed to the community be it with tutorials, videos, articles or even simply sharing a link. Lets continue to support each other in the use of OSINT to help make the world a better place.

Please feel free to follow me check out some of my other articles and connect as I always welcome other like minded people. Do not hesitate to reach out if there is ever anything I can help out with or if there are any opportunities for me to collaborate or talk about OSINT.

Also shameless plug here but if you are interested in our OSINT training program then hit me up via email: [email protected]

Until next time......