Brief Summary
This video provides an overview of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques, explaining what OSINT is and how it can be used to gather information about individuals or organizations. It covers various methods such as Google Dorking, reverse image searches, email and social media account investigations, and phone number OSINT. The video emphasizes ethical considerations and encourages viewers to explore the OSINT framework for more tools and resources.
- OSINT involves gathering publicly available information from various sources.
- Google Dorking uses special search operators to find specific information on the internet.
- Reverse image searches and facial recognition tools can help identify individuals and locations.
- Tools like fbos and socialsearcher.com can find social media accounts associated with emails and names.
What is OSINT
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) involves gathering publicly accessible information about a person, company, or organization from various sources like social media, websites, public records, and news articles. OSINT has been used for a long time, with Lieutenant General Samuel B. Wilson noting that 90% of intelligence data came from open sources during the Second World War. For example, if someone hides their Facebook friend list, you can still find clues about their friends by looking at the likes and comments on their public posts.
OSINT Example
To find out more about a person's social circle, examine their public posts, such as profile photos or cover photos, for likes and comments. These interactions can reveal the full names of their friends and frequent contacts, providing valuable OSINT. This information can then be used to find out more about these individuals.
Google Dorking
Google Dorking involves using special search operators in the Google search engine to find information that is not easily accessible through regular searches. For instance, using the "site:" operator allows you to limit search results to a specific website, such as "site:amazon.com" to find wireless Wi-Fi adapters exclusively on Amazon. While gathering publicly available information is legal, using it for malicious purposes is not.
Finding Documents
You can search for publicly available documents containing a specific name using the "filetype:" search operator. For example, entering a name in quotes followed by "filetype:pdf OR filetype:xlsx OR filetype:docx" will find PDF, Excel, and Word documents associated with that name. This can uncover court records, resumes, and other official documents. Refining the search by adding "site:university.edu" can target documents from a specific university. A cheat sheet with various search operators is available in the video description, along with a link to the Google Hacking Database.
Facial Recognition
If you have a photo of a person, you can use facial recognition tools like PimEyes to search for them across the internet. These tools use AI to identify the person in other online images, helping you gather more information about their online presence.
Reverse Image Search
If you have a photograph of someone in an unknown location, you can use Google Images' reverse image search feature. By uploading the photo, Google analyzes the visual characteristics and compares it to similar images online, providing information about where the photo was taken or other related details. If Google Images doesn't yield results, other reverse image search tools are available online.
Find Info on Email
If you have someone's email address, you can use tools like FeOS to conduct a reverse email search. This tool helps you find social media accounts associated with the email address and explore other activities linked to the owner, such as their contributions to Google Maps.
Searching Social Media Accounts
Finding multiple social media accounts of a person can reveal their interests and hobbies. For example, a programmer might have a GitHub profile, while an artist may use platforms like Pixiv or deviantART. Websites like socialsearcher.com allow you to search for a person's full name across multiple social media platforms simultaneously. Additionally, checkusernames.com can search for a specific username across over 100 social media platforms.
Phone Number OSINT
Similar to FeOS, That's Them is a tool for finding information on both email addresses and phone numbers. Phone numbers can provide a wealth of information when conducting an OSINT investigation.
Intel Techniques
Intel Techniques by Michael Bazzell is a resource that provides tools to gather information about targets from their social media accounts. This website compiles important links in one place, saving time by avoiding manual searches through profiles. The video encourages viewers to explore the OSINT framework for additional tools and resources.
