As information becomes more available from a large range of sources, professional researchers are now able to find almost any sort of data they are searching for, given they know where they should look. These sources include both public and private databases that are used by hackers, journalists, spies, and ordinary citizens every day to do the job of gathering information. Most of this information simply cannot be retrieved by search engines and involves knowledge of the position of the appropriate database to obtain the correct answers. Fortunately, there is a multitude of resources that beginners, as well as experienced investigators, can take advantage of when performing investigations using OSINT sources. What is OSINT? Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is intelligence obtained from online sources such as those accessible on the Internet, while the term is not exclusively internet-limited, it means all sources open to the general public. “OS” means Open Source (from OSINT). This is not linked in this case to the popular open-source movement, but to any publicly accessible source where the user can access the details in their set of intelligence data. The keyword behind the principle of OSINT is knowledge, and most especially knowledge which can be accessed free of charge. Whether it’s inside newspapers, forums, web pages, tweets, social media cards, photos, podcasts, or videos, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s available, free and legal. You can get a huge advantage over your rivals with the right details in your pocket, or speed up any company/people inquiry you are in charge of. But, you know OSINT is much simpler; many of us associate OSINT with cyberwar, cyber threats, cybersecurity, etc. And although those things are a part of it, OSINT is much more straightforward and easier to understand. OSINT Techniques: OSINT is divided into active and passive techniques. Active OSINT: Make contact with the target More accurate or up to date information Higher risk of being detected Direct scannings like Nmap or Nikto Tricking target into clicking on a link or reveal more information Passive OSINT: Never makes direct contact with the target Relies on third-party hosted information Passive scannings like Shodan or Whois query Tying together public o technical records to shoe patterns OSINT Advantages One of the main advantages of using OSINT is cost: OSINT is much less costly compared to conventional methods for collecting information. OSINT provides a potentially higher return on investment and this function is particularly important for organizations with a limited budget for intelligence. Data can be shared freely and conveniently with anyone; open sources are often accessible on any subject and are always up to date. Last but not least, the information obtained from public sources is a valuable tool for national security intelligence and can be used to facilitate the implementation of long-term plans for a variety of business objectives. OSINT Disadvantages OSINT, by comparison, is not without its limits. One of OSINT’s main challenges is that of possible information overloads; it can be difficult to filter knowledge from the noise. Also, locating and searching the right information can be a time-consuming task, without useful OSINT resources. However, OSINT is not ready to use; it needs a substantial amount of human analysis research to validly differentiate checked facts from unreliable, misleading or simply incorrect news and information. OSINT requires validation. To get the most out of OSINT needs a detailed review and understanding of the criteria for its use. Also, opting to use OSINT should not be focused on cost vs conventional intelligence, as OSINT does not exempt conventional intelligence from classified sources. A strong approach to business intelligence is the synthesis of OSINT and conventional intelligence sources.