OSINT

Open Source Intelligence

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the disciplined collection and analysis of publicly available information. This section focuses on passive investigation: search engines, public records, domains, IP addresses, usernames, social media, files, breach data, dark web sources, geolocation, and other public data pivots.

This section intentionally avoids most active scanning and exploitation tooling. Those resources belong in Red Offensive. Reputation and enrichment platforms belong in Threat Data.

Threat DataReconnaissance and Scanning

OSINT Guides and Methodology

• IntelTechniques OSINT Book and Tools - Michael Bazzell's OSINT resources and search tools.

• OH SHINT - Detailed OSINT link collection.

• Security Sift: Passive Reconnaissance - Passive recon workflow reference.

• Penetration Testing Execution Standard: Intelligence Gathering - Reconnaissance process reference.

• OSINT Handbook 2020 - Tools and techniques by I-Intelligence.

• Randhome OSINT Guide - OSINT workflow and tools.

• NixIntel: Gap Analysis for OSINT - Investigation methodology.

• Aware Online: Investigating a Website

• OSINT x UCCU Workshop

• Dark Web OSINT Deep Dive

• Verification Handbook - Journalism-oriented verification guidance that maps well to OSINT.

Training, CTFs, TryHackMe rooms, and OSINT practice labs are kept in Training.

Training and Resources

OSINT Communities and Resources

• OSINTCurious - Community, videos, and resource lists.

  • OSINTCurious Resource List

• OSINT Techniques - Tool lists, videos, and OSINT blog.

• OSINTion - Joe Grey's OSINT resources, courses, and consulting site.

• OSINT Dojo - Learning road map and OSINT challenges.

• Bellingcat OSINT How-Tos

  • Bellingcat Tool Collection

• Aware Online - OSINT and SOCMINT training and tools.

• Exposing the Invisible - Investigative methods and verification guidance.

OSINT Blogs and Media

• Benjamin Strick

• BushidoToken

• Cyb Detective

• Dutch OSINT Guy

• Intelligence with Steve

  • A 5-minute guide to creating a covert account for internet investigations

• IntelTechniques Blog

• Key Findings

• Lorand Bodo

• Offensive OSINT

• OSINT Combine Blog

• OSINT Editor

• OSINT Me

• The OSINT Journal

• Bellingcat

• CQCore

• Sector035

YouTube and webcast resources:

• 0x4rkØ OSINT Videos

• OSINTCurious Videos

• OSINTCurious 10 Minute Tips

• OSINTCurious Webcasts

• Irongeek OSINT Videos

• Authentic8

• Toddington Drop In and Learn

• Ben Strick OSINT at Home

• OSINT Dojo

• Trace Labs YouTube

Forums and Chat

• OSINT Matrix Room

• OSINT Team

• Websleuths

• r/OSINT

• r/RBI

• Bellingcat Discord

• OSINT-FR Discord

• Project Owl Discord

• OSINT Curious Discord

• OSINTion Discord

• Trace Labs Slack

Volunteer OSINT

These projects use OSINT skills for public-interest investigations. Review each group's mission, legal boundaries, and evidence-handling expectations before joining.

• Trace Labs

• Innocent Lives Foundation

• Badass Army

• Citizen Evidence Lab

• CrisisMappers

• FBI ECAP

• InformNapalm

• Locate International

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

• National Child Protection Task Force

• Our Rescue

• Europol Stop Child Abuse

• Stop The Traffik

OSINT Tool and Resource Collections

• Awesome OSINT

• OSINT Framework

• Ultimate OSINT Collection

• Aware Online OSINT Tools

• OpenOSINT Team Tools

• Sector035 OSINT Links

• Technisette OSINT Tools

• Trouble Fake start.me

• 5nacks OSINT Bookmarks

• OSINT Combine Bookmarks

• Andy Black OSINT Toolkit

• Paliscope OSINT Tools

• Cipher387 OSINT Stuff

• OSINT Encyclopedia

• OSINT APIs

OSINT Virtual Machines and Frameworks

• Trace Labs OSINT VM - OSINT virtual machine for investigations.

• Tsurugi Linux - DFIR-focused Linux distribution that also includes OSINT tools.

  • Tsurugi Tools Listing

• iHunt - OSINT framework grouped by investigation purpose.

• osrframework - OSINT libraries and tools for username, DNS, leak, and deep-web research.

• Mr.Holmes - OSINT toolkit for domains, phone numbers, and social accounts.

Recon-ng, SpiderFoot, Sn1per, and similar broad recon frameworks are maintained with Red Offensive recon tooling.

Recon Frameworks

Scrummage is better treated as a threat-hunting/OSINT framework and is cross-referenced from Threat Hunting.

Threat Hunting

Tools by Category

Search EnginesCyber Search EnginesDark-Web SearchIP AddressDomainUsername/EmailName, Phone, Gov RecordSOCMINT - Social MediaFiles/Media/Breach/Paste/CodeMisc OSINT