With the cyber world’s bigger and bolder challenges, intelligence officers need to improve their methods dramatically. This is the main reason why OSINT in cyber security is so in-demand, as it takes up half the burden related to data. But what is OSINT?
OSINT might be a foreign terminology to many, but it’s not a foreign concept among cybersecurity professionals and intelligence officers. In fact, the most distant origins of OSINT can be traced back to the mid-19th century when the digital age was basically a myth. It was related to people gathering details from newspapers, open records, and published research.
What is OSINT?
Abbreviation for Open Source Intelligence, OSINT is a way of gathering data that is made available to the public for general use. The open source data can be collected from physical locations like libraries, from telephone directories, through reference materials, or via the internet. However, all these sources combined are still not enough for what officers working against threat actors need.
For in-depth details, closed forums are accessed by professionals. The best part about closed forums is their ability to hide from the search engine and require login access, making themselves almost confidential from the public eye.
Relevance of OSINT for Cyber Security
The term INT in OSINT refers to intelligence which is a substitute word for public data extraction and analysis. It is used by security officials as well as cybercriminals. Here’s how.
Use by Cyber Security Officers
Let’s suppose an organization has hired cybersecurity professionals to strengthen its defences. The officers will need complete details about the internal assets of that organization which are available within the IT structure and outside. That’s when OSINT comes into use; it mines public information related to the organization, be it about its subsidiaries, suppliers, or channels. It basically skims the web for any leaked details that could pose a threat to the organization.
Use by Cyber Criminals
Similarly, cybercriminals also use OSINT techniques to gather information about targeted individuals and organizations on the web. A straightforward way to get this done is by attacking the cloud and picking misconfigured data clusters. Social media accounts and connections are another way through which criminals gather snippets of information that can be used in forming passwords to later hack accounts.
OSINT Purpose of Use for CyberSecurity?
For cybersecurity purposes, OSINT is used majorly in two ways; both proactive. One of these measures is related to the organization being threatened, while the other measure determines the capabilities of the opposing party.
For Threat Analysis of Organization
Professionals often resort to penetration testing to check the strength of an organization’s IT structure on its own. It is done by manually attacking the existing defences of the system in multiple ways to highlight the major vulnerabilities. OSINT is used by a fake third-party attacker to find useful resources for creating strong attacks.
For Strength Determination of Threat by Attacker
This measure determines how vicious an attack can be expected by a criminal due to the amount of information on the web. For this process, the OSINT and closed source data are analyzed alongside other external data to develop a potentially reasonable threat. This process of preparation of threats is also known as threat intelligence.
Methods to Collect OSINT
Active Method
The active method of OSINT compilation is the simplest of the three as it doesn’t require hiding from the target. Analysts with basic details like email addresses and contact info can directly visit websites with relevant data.
Passive Method
Passive collection of OSINT is the compilation of all kinds of data under one roof. Analysts collect data without discriminating against it, allowing access to all types of data sources. This means that the information includes everything related to the target or organization but there’s no specific format; it could include blogs as well as social media posts regarding the target by a glamorous magazine. One more thing to note about passive OSINT is that the client is off-limits, hence no direct interactions will be made in case the target is aware of being tracked.
Semi-Passive Method
This method of OSINT collection is probably the toughest as it requires an entry into the target’s server under disguise. The traffic on the target’s server should not be disrupted otherwise he will get suspicious, therefore, the analyst has to blend in with the normal traffic.
Relevant OSINT Tools
Tools exist to make life easier and cut down the duration of the procedure. The below-mentioned OSINT tools are well-recommended for internal processes such as brand protection and real-time event monitoring.
- Google Dorking
- HavelbeenPwned
- Shodan
- BuiltWith
- Intelligence X
- Spyse
- Spiderfoot
- Maltego
Benefits of OSINT
Vast Data Exposure
Information is widespread over hundreds and thousands of areas on the web, including social media. OSINT aims to extract data about a certain subject from all existing areas, including the dark web.
User-Friendly Approach
Data compilation and analysis itself is a hectic task requiring technical expertise. However, OSINT does not need experts in the data field for operation. Anyone with fair knowledge or an IT background can work with it.
Reduced Time
The speed of operations is a major benefit of OSINT compared to other data collection tools. It gathers every inch of information from the basics to the most critical within a span of seconds.
Collaborations for Details
OSINT addresses information gaps by allowing parties to collaborate with each other. Its team setting features person-allowed and restricted options to avoid activity visibility during the transfer of details.
Criticisms of OSINT
The use of OSINT is not restricted to positive contributions only like security and law enforcement. OSINT makes web-crime easy for criminals due to easy data collection, which is the biggest criticism of all. Since the motive of an analyst can not be monitored straight away from the activity, it is extremely difficult to prevent access of OSINT to white-collar criminals and hackers. Below are the ways in which OSINT assists criminals in getting away with their offences.
Legal Aspect
Legally, an internet attacker will be charged for attacking an IT system or defences of an enterprise, however, he won’t be liable for data theft. Since public information is for all to access, criminals can easily evade the liability for gathering information through OSINT, which indirectly makes the crime possible.
Ethical Aspect
With OSINT, there is no way to set boundaries or grounds for ethicality, not only for criminals but for companies competing against each other as well. With too much public data on the internet, holding individuals and enterprises accountable for the ethical use of information is impossible.
Privacy Issues
Attacking individuals personally has become extremely easy due to OSINT, as consumer information compilation by companies has become a norm. Originally data was collected for market research and surveys, but each of the forms filled by the person, along with their social media posts, captions, and portfolio have been uploaded as public records, exploding the concept of privacy.
What is the OSINT Framework?
The OSINT framework is an extensive set of rules, techniques, and tools that allows skilled persons to extract information from the various hidden areas on the web. Since data is uploaded in vast amounts, compilation and processing of key data points from publicly accessible sources can be tough, but the OSINT framework makes it possible. It surfs through the data to accurately and instantly pick the core points.
Importance of the OSINT Framework
The OSINT Framework overcomes most of the criticisms, thanks to its rigid structure. First of all, it counters the legality issue by setting in place legal practices and boundaries, preventing illegal information collection. The legality principle also supports the frame ethically, preventing detail overload.
Moreover, it offers a wider view for looking at the information, combining all sources from posts to text and stats in every format. This way, the data analyst has a range of sources to resort to. Plus, the multiple open sources enable analysts to verify if the details are correct or not.
The best part about this framework is its ability to detect threats, vulnerabilities, and risks to a system. Without this substructure, the process of system scanning and detection would become extremely lengthy and tiresome. The cost-effectiveness of this structure is also an added bonus.
With the dynamics of the cyber universe, an outdated data collection structure won’t survive, and this framework is striving for adaptation. The latest findings and inclusions in this frame make it relevant for the current computer environment.
Lastly, this structure is for the future, even with its current support for the various domains, be it cyber itself, or national law enforcement; the portfolio is ever-growing.
Conclusion
At the peak of this digital age, our generation has a lot at stake, with information being top of the charts. But it is this same information that can protect us from the negative side of the internet. To overcome these negatives, OSINT allows us to utilize all data existing to date by gathering, analyzing, and processing it in the best and most efficient way possible.
Hence, it gathers information intelligently, reducing the workload of professionals by a million times. With the variety of effective tools in the digi-market, data collection has never been easier.
It’s safe to say that OSINT is a beginning step towards the future with many more steps to go before it reaches its full potential.