Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

  1. Information Collection Sources and Methods
    1. Surface Web Intelligence
      1. Search Engine Mastery
        1. Boolean Logic and Operators
          1. AND Operations
            1. OR Operations
              1. NOT Operations
                1. Parenthetical Grouping
                2. Advanced Search Techniques
                  1. Exact Phrase Matching
                    1. Site-Specific Searching
                      1. Filetype and Format Searching
                        1. Wildcard and Truncation Searches
                          1. Proximity and Distance Searches
                            1. Date Range Filtering
                          2. Google Advanced Search Techniques
                            1. Specialized Operators
                              1. Inurl Operator
                                1. Intitle Operator
                                  1. Intext Operator
                                    1. Cache Operator
                                      1. Define Operator
                                      2. Google Dorking Techniques
                                      3. Alternative Search Engines
                                        1. DuckDuckGo
                                          1. Startpage
                                            1. Yandex
                                              1. Baidu
                                                1. Bing
                                                  1. Searx
                                                    1. Metasearch Engines
                                                  2. Deep Web and Dark Web Intelligence
                                                    1. Understanding the Deep Web
                                                      1. Definition and Scope
                                                        1. Database Access Techniques
                                                          1. Password-Protected Content
                                                            1. Dynamic Content Access
                                                            2. Dark Web Fundamentals
                                                              1. Dark Web Overview and Structure
                                                                1. The Onion Router (Tor) Network
                                                                  1. Accessing Onion Services
                                                                    1. Dark Web Search Engines
                                                                      1. Marketplace and Forum Analysis
                                                                      2. Security and Risk Management
                                                                        1. Technical Security Measures
                                                                          1. Anonymity Preservation
                                                                            1. Malware and Threat Avoidance
                                                                          2. Website and Domain Intelligence
                                                                            1. Domain Registration Analysis
                                                                              1. WHOIS Record Investigation
                                                                                1. Registrar Information
                                                                                  1. Historical Registration Data
                                                                                    1. Contact Information Analysis
                                                                                    2. DNS Infrastructure Analysis
                                                                                      1. DNS Record Types
                                                                                        1. A Records
                                                                                          1. AAAA Records
                                                                                            1. MX Records
                                                                                              1. NS Records
                                                                                                1. TXT Records
                                                                                                  1. CNAME Records
                                                                                                  2. DNS Enumeration Techniques
                                                                                                    1. Subdomain Discovery
                                                                                                    2. Website Technology Profiling
                                                                                                      1. Content Management System Identification
                                                                                                        1. Server Technology Detection
                                                                                                          1. Third-Party Service Integration
                                                                                                            1. Security Header Analysis
                                                                                                            2. Website Content Analysis
                                                                                                              1. HTML Source Code Examination
                                                                                                                1. Metadata Extraction
                                                                                                                  1. Embedded Resource Analysis
                                                                                                                    1. Comment and Hidden Content
                                                                                                                    2. Website Historical Analysis
                                                                                                                      1. Internet Archive Wayback Machine
                                                                                                                        1. Archive.today Services
                                                                                                                          1. Cached Content Analysis
                                                                                                                            1. Change Detection Over Time
                                                                                                                          2. Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT)
                                                                                                                            1. Platform-Specific Investigation
                                                                                                                              1. Facebook Intelligence
                                                                                                                                1. Profile and Timeline Analysis
                                                                                                                                  1. Group and Page Investigation
                                                                                                                                    1. Event and Check-in Analysis
                                                                                                                                      1. Photo and Video Analysis
                                                                                                                                      2. X (Twitter) Intelligence
                                                                                                                                        1. Tweet Content Analysis
                                                                                                                                          1. Hashtag and Trend Monitoring
                                                                                                                                            1. Follower Network Analysis
                                                                                                                                              1. Retweet and Mention Tracking
                                                                                                                                              2. Instagram Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                1. Post and Story Analysis
                                                                                                                                                  1. Hashtag Research
                                                                                                                                                    1. Location Tag Investigation
                                                                                                                                                      1. Influencer Network Mapping
                                                                                                                                                      2. LinkedIn Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                        1. Professional Profile Analysis
                                                                                                                                                          1. Company Page Investigation
                                                                                                                                                            1. Connection Network Mapping
                                                                                                                                                              1. Job and Career History
                                                                                                                                                              2. Reddit Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                1. Subreddit Monitoring
                                                                                                                                                                  1. User Activity Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                    1. Comment History Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                      1. Voting Pattern Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                      2. TikTok Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                        1. Video Content Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                          1. User Engagement Patterns
                                                                                                                                                                            1. Hashtag and Challenge Tracking
                                                                                                                                                                              1. Creator Network Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                            2. Cross-Platform Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                              1. Identity Correlation
                                                                                                                                                                                1. Activity Pattern Matching
                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Content Cross-Referencing
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Social Network Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Network Topology Mapping
                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Influence and Authority Identification
                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Community Detection
                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Information Flow Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Geospatial Social Media Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Geotagged Content Collection
                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Location Pattern Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Movement Tracking
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Event Geolocation
                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Content Analysis Techniques
                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Text Analysis and Natural Language Processing
                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Image and Video Content Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Sentiment Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Trend and Pattern Detection
                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. People Investigation and Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Digital Identity Resolution
                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Username Correlation Across Platforms
                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Alias and Pseudonym Tracking
                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Cross-Platform Identity Linking
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Digital Footprint Mapping
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Contact Information Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Email Address Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Email Verification Services
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Breach Database Searches
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Email Header Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Phone Number Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Reverse Lookup Services
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Carrier Identification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Messaging App Associations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Public Records Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Vital Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Birth Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Marriage Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Death Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Divorce Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Property and Real Estate Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Business and Professional Licenses
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Voter Registration Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Professional and Educational Background
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Employment History Verification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Educational Credential Verification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Professional License Validation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Publication and Patent Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Business and Corporate Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Corporate Structure Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Company Registration Databases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Subsidiary and Parent Company Relationships
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Ownership Structure Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Board of Directors Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Financial Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Public Financial Filings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. SEC and Regulatory Submissions
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Annual and Quarterly Reports
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Credit Rating and Risk Assessment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Intellectual Property Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Patent Database Searches
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Trademark Registry Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Supply Chain and Business Relationships
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Vendor and Supplier Identification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Partnership and Alliance Mapping
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Contract and Agreement Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Employee and Personnel Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Key Personnel Identification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Professional Network Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Recruitment and Hiring Patterns
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Geospatial Intelligence from Open Sources
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Satellite and Aerial Imagery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Commercial Satellite Platforms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Google Earth and Maps
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Bing Maps
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Apple Maps
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Government and Scientific Imagery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Sentinel Hub
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. NASA Worldview
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. USGS Earth Explorer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Specialized Imagery Sources
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Street-Level Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Street View Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Panoramic Imagery Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Ground-Truth Verification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Geolocation Techniques
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Visual Landmark Identification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Architectural Feature Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Environmental Clue Recognition
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Shadow and Sun Angle Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Temporal Geospatial Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Historical Imagery Comparison
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Change Detection Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Time-Series Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Digital Media Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Image Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Reverse Image Search Techniques
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Google Images
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. TinEye
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Yandex Images
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Metadata Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. EXIF Data Extraction
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. GPS Coordinate Recovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Camera and Device Identification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Image Forensics
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Authenticity Verification
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Manipulation Detection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Error Level Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Video Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Video Content Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Frame-by-Frame Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Audio Track Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Video Metadata Extraction
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Document Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. PDF Metadata Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Document Version Tracking
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Authorship Attribution
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Hidden Content Discovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Code and Technical Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Source Code Repository Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. GitHub Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. GitLab Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Bitbucket Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Other Version Control Systems
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Code Content Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Sensitive Information Discovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. API Key and Credential Exposure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Configuration File Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Comment and Documentation Review
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Development Activity Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Commit History Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Contributor Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Project Timeline Reconstruction
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Technical Infrastructure Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Server and Hosting Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. API Endpoint Discovery
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Technology Stack Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Academic and Scientific Intelligence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Academic Database Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Google Scholar
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. JSTOR
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. PubMed
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. arXiv
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. ResearchGate
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Thesis and Dissertation Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. University Repository Access
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Open Access Platform Investigation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Institutional Research Archives
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Research Network Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Citation Analysis
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Collaboration Network Mapping
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Research Impact Assessment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Author Profile Investigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Previous

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Core Competencies and Mindset

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Go to top

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Next

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        4. Data Processing and Management