PHOSINT, or open source intelligence, is a method of gathering information from publicly available sources to gain knowledge and insights. It involves collecting data from various places like online government records, social media profiles, news articles and online search engines, and piecing it all together to get a more comprehensive understanding of a person, group or topic.
Open source intelligence (OSINT) refers to the practice of collecting information from publicly available and published sources, typically done by IT, cybersecurity or law enforcement professionals to understand trends, gather evidence and discover connections.
Because open source intelligence involves looking at information that is already available to the public, it does not require häçking or îllégâl activities. Rather, OSINT tools make it easier for users to wade through the countless data sources and documents that are out there in order to find the information they need and produce actionable insights.
12 Tools for OSINT
TOP OSINT TOOLS
The tool can be used to spot all kinds of connections and relationships between names, aliases, email addresses, companies, websites, documents and more — all of which can benefit anything from law enforcement investigations to cybersecurity threat detectons.
The tool has access to hundreds of open data sources to gather and analyze IP addresses, CIDR images, domains and subdomains, email addresses, phone numbers, usernames and more. Available on GitHub, SpiderFoot comes with both a command-line interface and an embedded web-server for a more intuitive user interface.
SpiderFoot has many uses, including Bitcoin and Etherium address extraction, web scraping and web content analysis, dark web searching and IP geolocation.
The platform helps companies monitor not just their own network, but also their devices or IP across the internet and around the world. This is useful in detecting data leaks to the cloud, phishing websites, compromised databases and more.
Because it organizes all the resources a person could need in a clean and searchable way, OSINT Framework is rapidly becoming one of the most popular solutions for data collection and information discovery. While all of the tools listed on the website have free options, some may also offer additional plans for more money.
Metagoofil is a useful resource for not only OSINT gathering, but also penetration tests and determining whether private files have been leaked in search indexers like Google.
Lampyre’s information is accessible via a PC software or through API calls.
Accessible via a command-line interface on Kali Linux, Recon-ng is designed to automate some of the more time-consuming tasks of OSINT work, including standardizing outputs, interacting with databases, making web requests and managing API keys. It also features GeoIP lookup, DNS lookup and port scanning, and is good at locating sensitive files, finding hidden subdomains and looking for SQL errors. Once any information has been collected, it is stored in a database, which can then be used to generate custom reports according to what the user needs.
Seon is used across a variety of sectors, including banking, ecommerce, travel and ticketing and crypto trading. Queries can be made either directly on Seon’s website, via an API or through its Chrome extensions.
WHAT IS OSINT?Open source intelligence (OSINT) refers to the practice of collecting information from publicly available and published sources, typically done by IT, cybersecurity or law enforcement professionals to understand trends, gather evidence and discover connections.
Because open source intelligence involves looking at information that is already available to the public, it does not require häçking or îllégâl activities. Rather, OSINT tools make it easier for users to wade through the countless data sources and documents that are out there in order to find the information they need and produce actionable insights.
12 Tools for OSINT
TOP OSINT TOOLS
- Maltego
- SpiderFoot
- Intelligence X
- Shodan
- OSINT Framework
- Metagoofil
- Lampyre
- Spokeo
- Recon-ng
- Mitaka
- Babel Street
- Seon
1. MALTEGO
helps users visualize data points and their relationships to one another, taking raw intelligence and turning it into actionable information. It works by automating the searching and gathering of information across various public data sources, and mapping connections between those pieces of information via different visualization layouts such as blocks, hierarchical or circular, using wrights and notes to adjust the graphs. By adjusting the layouts and weights, users can spot various patterns depending on what they need.The tool can be used to spot all kinds of connections and relationships between names, aliases, email addresses, companies, websites, documents and more — all of which can benefit anything from law enforcement investigations to cybersecurity threat detectons.
2. SPIDERFOOT
-is an OSINT tool designed specifically for investigation professionals, particularly as it relates to the cybersecurity intelligence space. With more than 200 modules, it can be used either offensively for reconnaissance of a specific target, or defensively to gather information about what a user might have exposed over the internet and how likely the threat of a security breach is.The tool has access to hundreds of open data sources to gather and analyze IP addresses, CIDR images, domains and subdomains, email addresses, phone numbers, usernames and more. Available on GitHub, SpiderFoot comes with both a command-line interface and an embedded web-server for a more intuitive user interface.
SpiderFoot has many uses, including Bitcoin and Etherium address extraction, web scraping and web content analysis, dark web searching and IP geolocation.
3. INTELLIGENCE X
-is a search engine that preserves historic versions of web pages as well as entire leaked data sets that have otherwise been removed from the internet. All a user has to do is plug in a particular email address, URL or domain into the search bar, and the software will search the regular internet, the darknet, document sharing platforms, whois data and more to get any kind of open source intelligence that exists.4. SHODAN
-is a search engine that allows users to gain insights into all the devices they have connected to the internet within their network range, as well as set up real-time notifications when something changes or security has been compromised. By just typing in a company name, one can receive detailed insights into all their IoT Devices according to its network or IP address, such as location, configuration details and security vulnerabilities.The platform helps companies monitor not just their own network, but also their devices or IP across the internet and around the world. This is useful in detecting data leaks to the cloud, phishing websites, compromised databases and more.
5. OSINT FRAMEWORK
-is a directory of data discovery tools for almost any kind of open source intelligence gathering job. It’s essentially a website full of links to free OSINT tools or resources, as opposed to an actual tool itself. Users can find whatever tool they need based on the task at hand, whether that be searching through public records or analyzing potentially malicious files. It also indicated whether a specific tool requires installation or registration, as well as other details.Because it organizes all the resources a person could need in a clean and searchable way, OSINT Framework is rapidly becoming one of the most popular solutions for data collection and information discovery. While all of the tools listed on the website have free options, some may also offer additional plans for more money.
6. METAGOOFIL
-is a free tool available on GitHub that specializes in extracting metadata from a variety of public documents, in formats like .pdf, .docx, .xls and more. By searching Google for specific types of files being publicly hosted on a website, the software is capable of unearthing lots of useful data, including usernames and real names associated with specific documents, along with server information and the path to these documents.Metagoofil is a useful resource for not only OSINT gathering, but also penetration tests and determining whether private files have been leaked in search indexers like Google.
7. LAMPYRE
-is particularly useful in the law enforcement, cybersecurity, due diligence and financial analytics industries. Users can start with just a single data point (such as a person’s full name, or a phone number), and Lampyre will sift through more than 100 regularly updated data resources to extract interesting information about that data point. That information can then be organized in a variety of ways, including tables, maps, graphs or all three of them together.Lampyre’s information is accessible via a PC software or through API calls.
8. SPOKEO
-users can look up information about people using their email, phone number or postal address, granting them access to billions of public records including property deeds, court records and social networks. Companies can use the platform to vet a job candidate or customer, and individuals can use it to find old friends or research an upcoming date. All they have to do is enter a single piece of information about the person they’re searching for, and Spokeo will handle the rest.9. RECON-NG
-is a free, open source web reconnaissance tool developed by Python. It originally started as a script, but it has since evolved into a full framework, and it continues to grow thanks to the developers that contribute to its capabilities.Accessible via a command-line interface on Kali Linux, Recon-ng is designed to automate some of the more time-consuming tasks of OSINT work, including standardizing outputs, interacting with databases, making web requests and managing API keys. It also features GeoIP lookup, DNS lookup and port scanning, and is good at locating sensitive files, finding hidden subdomains and looking for SQL errors. Once any information has been collected, it is stored in a database, which can then be used to generate custom reports according to what the user needs.
10. MITAKA
-allows users to browse dozens of search engines to help them identify any malware, sketchy sites or spam emails that may pop up on their computer. All they have to do is plug in a specific IP address, domain, URL, hash or Bitcoin wallet address and Mitaka will send a notification if it detects a potential security threat.11. BABEL STREET
-is a cloud-based tool that uses AI to sift through billions of public data sources in more than 200 languages in order to rapidly discover and translate foreign threats. Its machine learning algorithms extract insights from these data sources according to whatever task a particular organization needs, which are then automatically translated into the organization’s native language and organized in one place to allow for deeper analysis and action.12. SEON
-is a fraud prevention tool. Users can cross-check a person’s email address, IP address or phone number with more than 50 social and online signals in order to not only verify their information, but also collect deeper insights about their overall digital footprints. The platform also uses machine learning to determine a person’s comprehensive risk score based on their online behavior patterns and connections.Seon is used across a variety of sectors, including banking, ecommerce, travel and ticketing and crypto trading. Queries can be made either directly on Seon’s website, via an API or through its Chrome extensions.