What is OSINT?
OSINT stands for Open Source Intelligence. In this blog, we at Tozetta tell you about the applications of OSINT & how hackers use it.
OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) is a collection of techniques, tools, and strategies used to gather, analyze, and gain insight from public data. It is often used by organizations to determine the most up-to-date information about their company, relationships, competitors, and market.
With public sources, organizations can gain a much better understanding of their business environment, resulting in better decisions. It is a versatile technique with applications in many domains. Below we tell you more about this.
OSINT applications
The most common applications of OSINT are corporate espionage, information gathering, market research, and intelligence gathering. OSINT is a great tool for companies that want to strengthen their competitive position. It helps companies gain insight into what their competitors are doing and how they approach their market. Companies can learn how to strengthen their own competitive position by understanding how their competitors act and shape their strategies.
In addition, OSINT can help organizations better understand and develop their market. It gathers information about trends, developments, and customers, allowing companies to optimize their marketing strategy.
OSINT investigations
Open Source Intelligence investigations are also often used by government agencies, insurers, or regulators. During OSINT investigations, information can come to light that is important for the decision-making process. A good example of where OSINT is used is in fraud prevention. Someone who files a damage claim with the insurer for their broken TV, where the OSINT investigation shows that the photo has been edited, can have the claim rejected.
The investigation can be built from various open sources. Think of social media channels or technical research into photos (EXIF data). Open source researchers consult as much public data as possible to validate events.
OSINT used by hackers?
Public data is also interesting for hackers. The more a hacker knows about you, the greater the chance the hacker can infiltrate your life. If a hacker knows which social media channels you use, and one of the accounts has been involved in a data breach, this hacker has a password within no time. If you use the same password everywhere, or with minimal variations (Welcome123 & Welcome99), there's a good chance this person will also gain access to other accounts.
There are countless examples of how hackers use public sources. So be careful about what you share, use different passwords, and two-factor authentication.
Improve cybersecurity?
In short, OSINT is a powerful tool for researchers, but also for hackers. Do you want to know more about how hackers use OSINT? We recently wrote a blog about this. In addition, there are countless ways you can improve the cybersecurity of your organization. As a specialist in ethical hacking & carrying out pentests, Tozetta can help you further, without obligation.
Feel free to get in touch, we'd love to talk to you!