Open Source Intelligence Methods and Tools

This book covers how to exploit Open Source Intelligence Techniques (OSINT), methods, and tools to acquire information from publicly available online sources to support intelligence analysis. The harvested data can be used in different scenarios like financial, crime, terrorism investigations as well as performing business competition analysis and acquiring intelligence about individuals and other entities. This book will also improve skills to acquire information online from both the regular internet as well as the hidden web (also known as the Dark Web/Deep Web). OSINT is a term that refers to all data that is publicly available. Originally proposed by the U.S military in the late 1980s, OSINT techniques and tools have rapidly developed with advances in computing technology. It is used by intelligence agencies as well as by enterprises to monitor trends on a global level, to identify risks, and to gather competitor intelligence so they can more effective decisions. OSINT is equally used by hackers and penetration testers to gather intelligence about a specific target online. It is also considered a valuable tool to assist in conducting social engineering attacks. Few books have been published about OSINT. Nowadays, every intelligence professional, management, military personal, or end user seeking information online should be knowledgeable of OSINT sources and methods, especially as analysis and collection are increasingly merging with each other. Open Source Intelligence Methods and Tools will approach this topic in a practical way. It will delve into the subject and list hundreds of OSINT resources that can be used to gather intelligence from online sources. It will also cover how to anonymize your digital identity online, so you can conduct your searching activities without being afraid of revealing your identity. What you'll learn How to identify intelligence needs and leverage a broad range of tools and sources to improve data collection, analysis, and decision-making in their organization. How to gather corporate intelligence about business competitors and to predict future market directions. How to use OSINT to protect individuals and enterprises by discovering online exposed sensitive data and learning to hide it before it gets revealed by outside attackers. How to use different OSINT tools and methods to gather intelligence. Who This Book Is For Penetration testers, computer forensics investigators, intelligence services, military, law enforcement, UN agencies & nonprofit organizations, journalists & researchers, university students (both graduate and undergraduate), and end users want to learn how to effectively exploit internet resources.