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OSINT

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Meaning

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), which is used by national intelligence organizations, security experts, and even cybercriminals, is the process of gathering data from publicly available or open sources. Finding publicly accessible information about their company that an attacker could use against them is the goal of cyber defenders, who then put precautions in place to lessen the risk.

OSINT Gathering Techniques

Here are three methods commonly used to gain open intelligence data.

Passive Collection

The most popular technique for gathering OSINT intelligence is this one. It comprises obtaining information from deep web information repositories, open APIs such as the Twitter API, or publicly accessible websites. After collection, the data is processed and organized for usage.

Semi-Passive

This kind of data collecting requires more skill because it entails sending traffic to a target server in order to collect data about it. Traffic from scanners needs to closely mimic normal Internet activity in order to evade detection.

Active Collection

In order to gather information about a system, this approach to information gathering entails direct engagement with it. Advanced technologies are used by active collection systems to check servers or web apps for vulnerabilities and probe open ports.
This data collection strategy reveals the reconnaissance process and is detectable by the target. It leaves behind evidence in the target’s intrusion prevention system (IPS), intrusion detection system (IDS), or firewall. Also included in the category of active intelligence collection are social engineering attacks on targets.

Artificial Intelligence: The Future of OSINT?

The technology of OSINT is developing quickly, and there is increasing interest for using AI and ML to improve OSINT research.
Government and intelligence organizations are already using AI to gather and examine data from social media, according to public reports. AI/ML is also being used by military groups to combat national security issues like organized crime, terrorism, false propaganda, and other risks on social media.
As AI/ML techniques become available to the private sector, they can help with:
  • Improving the data collection process by concentrating on high-priority data and removing noise.
  • Establishing connections between pertinent data and identifying useful patterns to improve the data analysis procedure.
  • Improving actionable insights AI/ML analysis is able to extract more actionable insights from the available data by processing far greater amounts of raw data than human analysts.