The World Through the eyes of an OSINT Analyst
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As we have written more about privacy and some of the changes we face in the digital age, the world hasn’t stood still around us. Quite the contrary, there have been fresh malware attacks and more data breaches that have resulted in confidential information being leaked for an assortment of reasons. If you’ve ever been part of a data breach, sometimes it’s even pretty hard to accurately decide what the consequences of that type of event could be. In today’s article, we’ll be looking at the digital world and explaining it through the OSINT viewpoint. This effectively means we’ll discuss what’s at risk and how we can mitigate some of that by having some secure operating practices.
Trackers are available for vehicles like ships. Source: MarineTraffic.com
What Is OSINT
If you’re a new reader and you have missed some of our previous articles you might be wondering just what this OSINT game is all about. Effectively though, Open Source Intelligence Techniques (OSINT) rely on the collection and interpretation from open source data streams. This could include things like social media, or company websites right through to vehicle movements like ADS-B or movement analysis using sources like STRAVA. The digital world has expanded this to include all manner of data streams. While in the old days, reading a newspaper could be considered a form of OSINT, in today’s world it's not uncommon for private analysts or companies to have access to things like satellite data streams and other high-tech sources of information. You’ll also find plenty of specialists within the field, with vehicle movements, threat analysis and all manner of specialists all playing to their strengths. In today's tense cyber domain, the art of malware and breach analysis is also a thriving field. This basically means that security through obscurity is dead and has been for some time. Our best strategy now is good protective habits.
And Aircraft. Source: adsbexchange.com
Big Data, We See You
If you’re reading this and wondering how this type of thing applies to you, then we’d encourage you to give some thought to just how big or unique your online footprint actually might be. And even if you, as the individual don’t see this data as particularly valuable the fact is, that it is, and large companies have been making money around the collection and processing of this data for far too long.
Do you know how your data is being stored by places like Google or can you say if your email address or password has ever been involved in a data breach? The fact is that these days you typically won’t have to go too far to find a scam call or a phishing email, and the likelihood of those succeeding or not is increased when these strategies can be applied in a personalized manner. You may not fall for a generic phishing email but you may fall prey to a well-crafted personalized one. While it’s impossible to keep everything secure (especially that in the hands of others), we should attempt to get into the habit of being able to rely on smart practices to increase our level of protection instead.
Phishing attempts remain an ongoing problem. Source: norton.com
Data Analysis
While open-source intelligence is performed with a large bunch of tools, one of the reasons it’s become such a popular hobby over the years is because in its easiest form, you need little more than an internet connection, some computer skills and a bit of time to get started. Best referenced as “Google Stalking” out in the real world, this in itself is a form of OSINT. While most people have had experience finding an old school friend or an ex-lover online, this typically won’t extend past finding the person you’re looking for.
The fact is though, that leveraging some of these data sources and pairing them with good investigative strategy means that you’ll usually find plenty of information on something once you start looking for it. Once you have an email, or telephone number as well as a name, then it becomes much easier for the rest of the blanks to be filled in. Particularly as you progress and your skills advance. While this type of thing might come naturally to some people, others may find it takes some work to develop the skills and an accompanying workflow.
While the types of tools often vary our article “5 Essential Tools for OSINT Investigators” is a great place to start if you’d like to find some more information on Linux & Windows-based OSINT tools.
Alternately, if you’re looking for cyber or malware analysis tools and educational information then we’d recommend checking either Virus Total or Greynoise.IO
Greynoise is a great tool for online analysis and infosec-related data. Source: greynoise.io
Checking Your Own Footprint
If you’d like to look at your own footprint, you’re best bet is to start with the search engine we know and love. Google. And if you would like to up your Google game the best place to start is by adopting a technique called Google Dorking. Dorking involves using specific site, tag and search criteria to reveal more intricate and specific search patterns. There have been several interesting data breaches that relied on nothing more than good Dorking strategies.
However, you might also find it useful to look at email trackers or possibly even breached data or passwords. You can check the latest in data-breach information quickly and easily by checking at HaveIBeenPwnd
If you’d like to get started with some more advanced tools as a beginner then the sn0int repository may be a good place to start. This OSINT framework uses semi-automatic tools to scrape whois, domain and other data from online services. Tools like these that are pre-compiled are a great place to start when giving your search skills a power-up.
sn0int is a semi-automatic framework that is good for beginners. Source: sn0int.com
Lastly, if you’re interested in these data analysis strategies but on the fence about where and how to start, remember that many tools provide a free service level for users to get started with. Places like Shodan, Censys and Virus Total all have free accounts which can be a great tool for beginners to leverage as well.
The journey is yours to start if and when you want to.
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